On November 29, Hondurans will go to the polls to elect a new president, members of the national congress and mayors. After months of political stalemate following the June 28 political coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya, these elections are seen by many as a way to move through the political impasse and towards using the democratic process to resolve disputes.

Yet, despite this source of optimism, political tensions in Honduras are high, and the tense political environment has increased pressure on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE, for its Spanish acronym) to hold free, fair, transparent and credible elections. Unfortunately, the increased pressure does not come with an increase in funds for the tribunal, which still relies on foreign assistance to perform many of the activities necessary to hold elections. The TSE is in and of itself its own branch of government, completely independent of the executive branch. The composition of the tribunal has not changed since the coup, in which the tribunal and its officials played no part.

On the elections front, currently, candidates Porfirio Lobo Sosa, of the National Party, and Elvin Santos, of the Liberal Party, who both won open primary elections in November 2008, are the two chief contenders for the presidency. The Democratic Unification Party’s Caesar Ham, Christian Democrat Party’s Felicito Avila, Innovation and Unity Party’s Bernard Martinez and independent candidate Carlos H. Reyes have also been actively campaigning for the presidency since the campaign period began in August.

Since September 2008, IFES has been providing assistance to the electoral tribunal in preparation for the 2008 primary and 2009 general elections in Honduras. While IFES’ plans have been complicated by the crisis in the country, IFES continues to provide electoral assistance to the TSE in the areas of poll worker training, transmission of elections results, media monitoring, and to ensure that people with disabilities can exercise their right to vote on Election Day.