by the El Reportero’s news service
Porfirio (‘Pepe’) Lobo
Early today (30 November), with just under 62 percent of the votes counted, Porfirio (‘Pepe’) Lobo of the conservative traditional Partido Nacional (PN) was declared the winner in yesterday’s presidential election, with an estimated 57.16 percent of the first-past-the-post vote, to 33.42 percent for his nearest rival, Elvin Santos of the ruling Partido Liberal (PL). The PN also took 17 of the 18 departments in the country, with the PL securing just one (the southern coastal La Paz).
Turnout was an estimated 61.3 percent (just over 2.5m of the total 4.6m registered and legally obliged to vote) according to the supreme electoral court (TSE), a figure strongly disputed by the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, who claimed abstention was close to 65 percent. The count was impressively quick and efficient, bearing in mind that it took 12 days in 2005 for the authorities to determine who had won, let alone count all the votes. Lobo immediately declared that the time for division “is over”, and announced that he would form a government of national unity and reconciliation, “without excluding anyone”.
The U.S., which is desperate to sweep this crisis under the carpet, looks set to recognize the vote, seeing it as an important pragmatic step on the path towards national reconciliation.
