UN Chief urges 'restraint' as Honduras awaits election results

HAMILTON (Canada): United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for "calm" and "restraint" in Honduras as the country awaits the official results of its Nov 30 general elections, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

"The Secretary-General is closely following developments in Honduras in the aftermath of the Nov 30 general elections," Guterres' spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Underlining that Guterres "welcomes the calm and orderly manner in which the vote was conducted," Haq said that the UN chief "notes with concern the growing tensions as the official declaration of results is still awaited."

"He urges all actors to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from language or actions that could escalate tensions, and allow electoral institutions to complete their work without interference, addressing electoral disputes through established legal mechanisms," said the statement.

Guterres further stressed "the importance of declaring the official results according to the constitutional timeline and of ensuring an orderly transition on Jan 27."

"Respecting the sovereign will of the people is essential to ensuring stability and peace," Haq said.

Following the Nov 30 elections, Honduras sank into an electoral crisis due to problems with the online platform briefing the results and alleged security breaches in the counting system.

The ruling party and electoral officials have continued to question the validity of the elections following concerns about the string of inconsistencies in the counting system.

-- BERNAMA