When Hondurans cast their ballots in November’s general election, it will be under a cloud of suspicion over whether the country can, in fact, organize free and fair elections. In 2017, President Juan Orlando Hernández won a race marred by a slew of fraud accusations. And he has plenty of incentives to do exactly what his opponents fear and manipulate electoral rules to tilt the contest in favor of his allies, as an opposition win would likely result in Mr. Hernández’s arrest and extradition to the U.S. for his links to drug trafficking.
Mr. Hernández’s name came up in a drug trial taking place in the Southern District of New York. Defendant Geovanny Ramírez said he bribed the Honduran president in exchange for protection from the country’s law enforcement and military officials. The move made the politician one of the few sitting presidents ever to be implicated in a drug case by the U.S. Department of Justice.
An investigation by non-profit organization InSight Crime reveals that President Hernández also allegedly asked Mr. Ramírez for access to...
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