Honduras' president, Xiomara Castro's government has been investigating electoral irregularities and gang intimidation in the country. Ten eyewitnesses have come forward claiming that MS-13, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, intimidated Hondurans not to vote for the left-leaning presidential candidate, Nasry "Tito" Asfura, but instead cast their ballots for the right-wing National Party candidate.
According to the eyewitnesses, gang members from MS-13 would often drive voters in mototaxis to the polls and threaten them if they voted for LIBRE. In some cases, gang members would even check people's ballots inside polling sites. The intimidation campaign allegedly took place as US President Donald Trump extended an interventionist hand over the elections.
Trump had previously endorsed Asfura and threatened to cut off aid to Honduras if voters didn't elect him as president. He also pardoned Asfura's ally, Juan Orlando Hernández, who is accused of being involved in a cocaine superhighway in Honduras.
The Honduran government has pointed to electoral irregularities, including allegations of voter intimidation and defamation campaigns. The European Union has also recognized that the election was carried out amid "intimidation, defamation campaigns, institutional weakness, and disinformation."
MS-13 was formed in the 1980s among refugees of the Salvadoran civil war who were deported to Central America by the George H.W. Bush administration. Over the years, the gang has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise involved in street-level drug dealers, extortionists, assassins for hire, and cocaine transporters.
The US has designated MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which suggests that the gang sees itself as an opportunity to change its situation and launch a coordinated offensive. If Honduras is seen as a home turf of gangs, it's also an anchor for US power in the region, hosting the second-largest US military base in Latin America.
MS-13 was working with Trump ally Nayib Bukele in El Salvador before moving to Honduras where they worked on the election. According to some sources, MS-13 would give voters messages like 'We're going to vote for Papi a la orden,' urging them not to vote for LIBRE and instead cast their ballots for Asfura.
A former mid-level bureaucrat told The Intercept that MS-13 had been intimidating activists promoting the vote for LIBRE. The investigator stated that MS-13 has been using vote-buying tactics, which is a recurring practice in Honduras.
According to the eyewitnesses, gang members from MS-13 would often drive voters in mototaxis to the polls and threaten them if they voted for LIBRE. In some cases, gang members would even check people's ballots inside polling sites. The intimidation campaign allegedly took place as US President Donald Trump extended an interventionist hand over the elections.
Trump had previously endorsed Asfura and threatened to cut off aid to Honduras if voters didn't elect him as president. He also pardoned Asfura's ally, Juan Orlando Hernández, who is accused of being involved in a cocaine superhighway in Honduras.
The Honduran government has pointed to electoral irregularities, including allegations of voter intimidation and defamation campaigns. The European Union has also recognized that the election was carried out amid "intimidation, defamation campaigns, institutional weakness, and disinformation."
MS-13 was formed in the 1980s among refugees of the Salvadoran civil war who were deported to Central America by the George H.W. Bush administration. Over the years, the gang has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise involved in street-level drug dealers, extortionists, assassins for hire, and cocaine transporters.
The US has designated MS-13 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which suggests that the gang sees itself as an opportunity to change its situation and launch a coordinated offensive. If Honduras is seen as a home turf of gangs, it's also an anchor for US power in the region, hosting the second-largest US military base in Latin America.
MS-13 was working with Trump ally Nayib Bukele in El Salvador before moving to Honduras where they worked on the election. According to some sources, MS-13 would give voters messages like 'We're going to vote for Papi a la orden,' urging them not to vote for LIBRE and instead cast their ballots for Asfura.
A former mid-level bureaucrat told The Intercept that MS-13 had been intimidating activists promoting the vote for LIBRE. The investigator stated that MS-13 has been using vote-buying tactics, which is a recurring practice in Honduras.
are really not surprising to me, especially with Trump's involvement. I mean, come on, the guy was basically threatening Honduras if they didn't vote for his buddy Asfura 
. It's like, hello, that's some serious election interference right there.
. I'm not buying into the whole "Foreign Terrorist Organization" label - it's more like they're just organized crime gangs looking to cash in on their influence.
. And the European Union is right, this election was a mess from start to finish. It's time for some real reform in Honduras 
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this whole thing just feels super fishy to me... like trump's involved somehow and ms-13's playing both sides 
does he really think he can just swoop in here and decide who should be president? 
the eu is saying it was all about intimidation and disinformation... but i'm not buying it 
also, have you guys seen that documentary series on netflix about ms-13? it was super intense 
. It's disturbing how US politicians like Trump would try to influence the outcome of an election by endorsing a candidate or cutting aid if they don't win 
. The European Union has seen some shady stuff going on too, it seems like Honduras is being taken advantage of. We need more transparency and accountability in these situations 
. I'm not buying it when Trump says he's just extending an "interventionist hand" over the elections. Sounds like more like a dirty election rigging to me 
. And what does Trump have to gain from all this? 
I'm literally shook by this news... it's like something out of a bad movie 
. I mean, what's next? Gangs taking over the entire country? 
.
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. This whole thing is a major red flag for democracy and human rights in the country 
like what even is this? US designating ms-13 as a foreign terror org and then having them influence the election 
for speaking truth to power and standing up against trump's interference 
I don't think we're seeing the whole story here, guys. Like, let's not be too quick to blame Trump or MS-13 without knowing all the facts. 
And what about the alleged electoral irregularities? Is it really fair to say that the government is just spinning this story to cover up their own problems? 
I'm not saying MS-13 isn't a major player in Honduras, but let's not forget that they're a transnational gang with deep roots. 
It's all about context, right? 
anywayz, i think it's time to focus on findin out what really went down in those elections rather than makin assumptions or pointin fingers 
. I mean, who needs aid when you can have a gang of thugs threatening people not to vote for a certain candidate? And let me guess, Trump was all like "Oh no, MS-13 is being naughty!" while secretly wishing he had more control over their operations 
. The EU is saying it all went down due to "intimidation, defamation campaigns, institutional weakness, and disinformation"... sounds like a whole lot of Trump-style chaos 
can you believe what's going on in Honduras?? it's like trump thinks he can just swoop in and control their elections... meanwhile ms-13 is literally terrorizing people into voting for whoever they're telling them to... 
. I mean, it's one thing to have gang activity, but when they're meddling with the democratic process like this... 
. It's not okay for organized crime groups to be influencing elections like this 
.
it's like they're using gang intimidation to influence the election and no one seems to be doing anything about it. i mean, trump's involvement doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either, he's been known to get his hands dirty in other countries before. MS-13 is a total thorn in the side of anyone who tries to make progress in latin america, they're like a plague that can't be cured. we need to see some real action taken by the european union and the honduran government to address this issue and ensure a fair election.
like how can you just put pressure on people to vote for one person but not another its like something outta a movie. i feel bad for nasry asfura and libre party voters who got intimidated by gangs 
The European Union recognizing the election as "intimidation" and all these alleged irregularities make me wonder if there's more to this story than meets the eye. Honduras needs to take a closer look at its electoral process and make sure it's not being manipulated by external forces... or internal ones, for that matter 
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it's like trump is trying to interfere with democracies all over the world and ms 13 is just getting involved because of him 
and did you know that sloths have three middle ribs instead of the usual two? Mind blown, right?