MEXICO CITY

The Standing Committee of the Honduran National Congress announced Wednesday that it will not ratify the results of the recent general elections while calling out US President Donald Trump for intimidating voters and hindering the electoral process.

In a press release, the committee noted “the existence of an ongoing electoral coup” and accused Trump of directly interfering in the elections through pressure and intimidation. It also pointed to domestic actors allegedly manipulating the results.

“The National Congress will not validate a process tainted by internal pressures from organized crime structures linked to drug trafficking—gangs such as MS-13, Barrio 18, among others—and even less by external pressures and the direct violation of the freedom of voters,” the statement said.

The committee also denounced that the Preliminary Electoral Results Transmission System (TREP) “did not function as established,” citing alleged leaked audio recordings released days before the election in which members of the National Electoral Council discussed manipulating the results.

The committee also said the electoral body undermined the mandatory biometric verification process, acting against electoral law and “contaminating” both the tally sheets and the TREP system.

It also strongly condemned Trump for his comments in support of conservative candidate Nasry Asfura, who currently maintains a lead of more than 42,000 votes.

“We absolutely condemn the interference of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who, through public statements made 72 hours before the elections (November 30), threatened and coerced Honduran citizens, altering the free exercise of suffrage,” it said.

The statement cited two specific posts published on Nov. 26 and Nov. 28 by Trump on his social media accounts in which he openly expressed support for Nasry and threatened to restrict aid.

According to the committee, Trump influenced the outcome of the elections through pressure, disinformation and economic coercion, intimidating voters and thereby distorting the results.

“We affirm that a people subjected to threats cannot vote freely, and therefore elections conducted under such conditions lack full democratic and legal validity,” the statement said.