HONDURAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DAY 5 - AFTERNOON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 002432 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, WHA/PPC, WHA/USOAS, AND WHA/CEN NSC FOR DAN FISK E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ECON KCRM PINR HO SUBJECT: HONDURAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DAY 5 - AFTERNOON UPDATE - WAITING FOR LOBO REF: TEGUCIGALPA 2429 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Chief of the Political Section Derrick M. Olsen; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) continues to enter in the vote counts and update its web site so that Honduras can monitor the tabulation process itself. The process is still slow, but at this stage, nearly three-quarters of the way done and Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel "Mel" Zelaya maintains his lead over National Party presidential candidate Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo. While some in the Nationalist Party continue to cry foul, it seems not to be affecting the presidential vote count. End Summary. ¶2. (U) As of 4:10pm local time, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) had 73.93 percent of the electoral tables counted. Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel "Mel" Zelaya continues to lead National Party presidential candidate Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo 49.61 percent (770,049 votes) to 46.33 percent (719,103 votes); a 3.28 percent lead. These numbers include approximately 77.98 percent of the Cortes Department, including San Pedro Sula (where Zelaya is beating Pepe by 8.3 percent),and 85.2 percent of Francisco Morazan Department, including Tegucigalpa (where Lobo has a 4.62 percent lead over Zelaya). The latest results can be found at http://resultados.tse.hn (when the site is working). ¶3. (SBU) On November 29, 83 packages of vote counts were sent from San Pedro Sula to the TSE sorting warehouse in Tegucigalpa. Of the 83 vote counts that were turned in, problems included two blank tallies, one that was alleged to have been blank/erased somehow, and one with an excess of three ballots. The TSE request the San Pedro Sula municipal electoral tribunal to send any and all remaining materials from these 83 electoral tables to Tegucigalpa. (Note: These and other alleged irregularities led to the National Party's request to nullify some vote counts from San Pedro Sula. End Note.) ¶4. (C) Comment: Lobo's promised concession was still pending at 5:30pm. Post will contact Washington immediately if Lobo concedes later tonight. End Comment. Ford