Conservative rancher Porfirio Lobo won Honduras’ presidential elections in voting that many Hondurans hope will end a crippling crisis and others fear will whitewash the overthrow of a leftist leader in a June coup.
Preliminary official results showed the Opposition National Party candidate with 56 per cent support with more than 60 per cent of the vote tally sheets counted.
His main rival, Elvin Santos of the ruling Liberal Party, conceded defeat, saying it is time for “unity, the only path to confront the future and ensure the victory of all Hondurans.”
Perhaps more importantly, election officials said more than 60 per cent of registered voters cast ballots - a victory for interim leaders who hoped a large turnout would bolster the vote’s legitimacy in the eyes of the world.
But Manuel Zelaya, the president ousted in the June 28 coup, is certain to challenge that number. He said earlier that his own information from polling stations indicated abstention was as high as 65 per cent, insisting the vote had no legitimacy and should not be recognized. No pro-Zelaya presidential candidate ran yesterday.
The candidates’ campaigns have been overshadowed by the debate over whether Hondurans should vote at all in an election largely shunned by international monitors.
