A Honduran lawmaker was injured when an unknown assailant threw what appeared to be an explosive device into an outdoor corridor of Congress where members of the conservative National Party were holding a press conference.
“The Honduras National Party condemns all acts of political violence that threaten the life, integrity and democratic institutions of the country,” the party said in a statement Thursday.
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The incident highlights the tense political situation in Honduras. In Honduras, a fierce battle on November 30 culminated in weeks of vote counting and disputed results.
National Party candidate Nasri Asfura was finally declared the winner just a month later, on December 24th.
Lawmakers in Honduras convened on Thursday to consider a possible recount of the vote proposed by the outgoing ruling left party, the Liberal Refundacion (LIBRE).
The National Electoral Commission declared Mr. Asfulura the winner, but the Libre party has yet to accept the results, given the narrow margin of victory and allegations of fraud during vote counting.
Thursday’s incident reportedly left Gladys Aurora López, a conservative lawmaker from La Paz province, injured.
Video of the incident circulating on social media shows Lopez approaching a line of journalists with television cameras when a smoking gray object hits her in the back, near her head.
Lopez reportedly fell to the floor from the impact of the blow, but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
An image posted by Tommy Zambrano, leader of the Nationalist Congressional Voting Block, showed Lopez with his white shirt pulled down to his shoulders, exposing what appeared to be blood spatter and bruises on his ears, neck and back.
Members of the Nationalist Party were quick to blame their rivals within the Libre party, blaming them for the violence.
“Today I speak not as a representative, but as a Honduran,” fellow conservative lawmaker Antonio César Rivera posted on social media. “I categorically condemn the despicable attack on Gladys Aurora Lopez and stand in solidarity with her.”
He also accused the Libre group of attacking him. “Those who promote hatred and intimidation are attacking democracy,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Zambrano said the Libre party leadership was responsible for the attack, even though the attacker remains at large and no suspects have been identified.
He singled out Congress President Luis Redondo, a Libre politician, and Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, Honduras’ first gentleman and former president who was ousted in a 2009 coup.
“The vile attack suffered by our colleague Gladys Aurora López symbolizes what Luis Redondo, Mel, Libre, and 21st century socialism represent: violence and more violence,” Zambrano wrote on social media.
Rhetoric between the country’s main political parties has become particularly intense in recent months as a spate of scandals led to November’s general election.
Dating back to the March primaries, the electoral process was marred by delays and a lack of election materials, leading to accusations that the democratic process had been violated.
Political infighting only intensified as the final vote approached, with National Electoral Council member Libre accusing conservative members of election interference and collusion with the military.
With the election just days away, US President Donald Trump has also joined the fray, expressing his support for Asfura.
Shortly after voting closed, it became clear that President Xiomara Castro’s Libre party was suffering in both the presidential race and the fight for control of parliament.
Presidential candidate Lixi Moncada came in a distant third place in the final tally, losing his seat in Congress.
The presidential election was a contest between the center-right Liberal Party and the conservative National Party. Mr. Asufura came first with 40.3% of the vote, a margin of less than 1 percentage point, followed by Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasrallah, who received 39.6%.
Still, slow vote counting and confusion in posting results online have sparked allegations of fraud and irregularities in the election.
Asfullah is scheduled to take the oath of office on January 27, marking her return to the National Party government after four years in left-wing leadership.
