Honduras Post Electoral Protests Update

If you are traveling in Honduras, or just about to come here,  you know there have been some post electoral protests. Unfortunately,  some of these have turned nasty. One resulted in the Tegucigalpa Marriott Hotel vandalized. The protesters are unhappy with the official results of the elections and have vowed to continue protesting. In Honduras, the most popular way way to protest is to block the highways. As such, the opposition has called for an unprecedented national protest. The call is to  block all highways this morning.

The Honduran Constitution grants the right to peacefully protest. It also guarantees free transit through the country. As such, the government of Honduras has sent the military out to the streets to insure they are open. Of course, this opens up the possibility of clashes between protesters and the army.

Critical Week for Honduras Post Electoral Protests:

These post electoral protests have been persistent, and many Hondurans have tired of them. This coming week will be crucial to determine the short term political and social stability in Honduras. The new Congress will take office on the 23rd of January. The municipal authorities will do so in the 25th and the President will be sworn in on the 27th. The opposition wants to impede Congress and the President from taking office.

The opposition scheduled a big nationwide strike for this morning. The plan was to shut down all major highways in Honduras. Considering that the roads were supposed to be blocked by 6:00 a.m. and it is almost 8:00 a.m. local time, it seems that the call for the protest went unheeded. Whatever the case, if you are traveling in Honduras this week, keep your eyes open for trouble. If possible, fly between your destinations. Remember that Honduras has 4 airports and they are all serviced by local airlines. This morning, all public transportation services are operating regularly.

Tourists are not targeted by protesters, but you could find yourself in the middle of a road block for hours. This could be an intimidating experience, especially if you do not speak Spanish. I do not expect any closed roads or any violence. I would recommend staying away from Tegucigalpa this coming week. This is where protests will take place. Enjoy your holidays in Honduras. Please share with us any experience that you have had while traveling through this beautiful and friendly country!

Reports from several areas in Honduras indicate that some roads where effectively blocked by protesters. Most of these were in or around Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. From what I know, the roads are all open as of now.