Here come the elections 1

On November 24, Hondurans will go the polls to elect a new president, all the members of Congress, and municipal authorities (mayors, etc.)

In previous elections, two parties have dominated the scene – the National Party and the Liberal Party. Both have their roots in the classic liberal theory of the nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century there were serious conflicts between members of both parties, leading in some cases to killings. Partly as a result of this people have had a tendency to adhere passionately to the party of their families.

During most of the twentieth century, except for military coups, political power in Honduras alternated between the two parties. For many reasons, the parties often ruled with a strong patronage system.  Vote for me and I’ll see to your wellbeing. Tammany Hall had little on Honduras.

But something happened in 2009 when the elected President, Mel Zelaya, was overthrown by a coup and escorted out of the country. Zelaya, a Liberal Party president, from a rich cattle-ranching family, moved to embrace more populist positions which made him unpopular with the economic and political elites who ruled Honduras.

Whatever you may think about Zelaya, the coup unleashed something that was unthinkable – the break-up of political system which had assured the sharing of power between the two major parties.

People used to vote for their party, maintaining a devotion that rivaled their adherence to their faith. A friend once said that a Honduran was more likely to change her religion than her political party. 

After the coup, a Resistance movement arose – with a wide participation of people including the traditional left, but not limited to them. It attracted some members of  Zelaya’s Liberal Party as well as indigenous groups, gay and lesbian organizations, as well as many people who were dissatisfied with the system, especially from the poor sectors of the country.

A political party was eventually formed from the Resistance, despite some disagreement from some sectors of the Resistance. I, personally, think the move may have been premature, since it seems to have cut short the important consciousness-raising and organization of the poor that the Resistance and sympathetic organizations had been promoting.

But the LIBRE [Liberty and Refoundation] party was formed and has candidates all over the country. Their presidential candidate is Xiomara Castor, the wife of Zelaya.

The polls show that a large number of people are undecided or refuse to give their opinion, but that Xiomara Castro has – until recently – had a small edge over the National Party candidate, former president of the Honduran national Congress, Juan Orlando Hernández.  The Liberal Party has fallen far behind. A new Anti-Corruption Party has shown some strength, but still behind the two main parties.

What strikes me is that whatever the results of this election, Honduras may be seeing the breakdown of the monopoly of the two parties and the religious adherence of people to their parties.

Various people have commented on this but I saw what I think is an example. Yesterday, in Santa Rosa de Copán, I saw this taxi which has bumper stickers for three different parties – a generic sticker for the Anti-Corruption Party on the Bumper, a sticker for a LIBRE congressional candidate on the trunk, and a sticker for the Liberal Party mayoral candidate on the back window. (I whited out the taxi’s number and license plate to assure anonymity.)

Whatever the results of the elections, this example of someone who is not tied to one party is somewhat hopeful.

We’ll see, in a little more than a month, what actually happens.

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If you want good background and coverage of the elections and more, check out the Honduras Culture and Politics blog, here.

Elections in Honduras

Sunday, November 18, Honduras held primary elections in which the major parties choose their presidential, mayoral, and congressional candidates for next November’s election.

The two major parties have several candidates for the presidency, while there is already only one presidential candidate for the major opposition party, LIBRE, which was founded by parts of the Resistance to the 2009 coup.

The last few days have been quiet since Honduras forbids active campaigning for five days before the election. But that doesn’t mean that the propaganda doesn’t continue – though in other forms.  For example, earlier this week a newspaper revealed that several hundred identity cards were found in the office of a major supporter of the National Party candidate, Juan Orlando. The id cars are either a way to prevent opponents to vote or to use them to vote for one’s own candidate.

I have heard of this tactic several years ago and recently a priest who works in the south of the department of Lempira told me that it’s happening there again.

But that is probably the most blatant form of corruption.

There are more subtle ways that candidates seek to ingratiate them with the electorate. They may not “buy” the votes with money, but those with connections may use them to give people tin roofing and bags of cement or use their role as elected officials to provide needed services (e.g., leveling roads) right before the elections. There is a report that one candidate is giving out medicine as a part of his campaign; the medicine is part of the medicine that the government apportions to hospitals and health clinics! Yesterday I saw soccer teams from various villages wearing shirts with Juan Orlando’s name; his supporters had obviously given them to the team.

On Sunday I saw busses and pick-ups adorned with posters of the candidates and the parties’ flags.  People were out to vote and the politicians were helping them get to the polls.

Bus supporters of National Party candidate Juan Orlando

 

Yet many people have very little confidence in either of the two major parties because of their corruption and their continuing internecine quarreling. Some are placing their hopes in LIBRE or in some independent candidates.

The role of LIBRE will be very important because both the National Party and the Liberal Party candidates supported the 2009 coup.

But the problem is not merely the party in power.

The problem is the system that keeps the economic and political elite in power and keeps the impoverished majority disempowered.

There are some candidates from LIBRE and even from some of the traditional parties who do seek the common good and have worked for the poorest. I’ve met a few in this region.

But I think what is needed is continuing work for the empowerment of the people, the work that I’ve seen in Cáritas and ERIC-SJ (a Jesuit-supported program in EL Progeso). People are learning how to stand up for their rights, how to work together and form civil organizations that will not only have their own projects but will demand that government entities respond to the needs of the poor. They are using some of the structures that are already present – the transparency committees, for example, that are watchdogs in the municipalities.

It’s a long hard process, but I place my hopes not in elections, but in the good will and the work to transform politics and life here so that people may live decent lives.

What's wrong with elections

Yesterday the US held elections and Barack Obama was re-elected as president. On Sunday, November 18, Honduran political parties will hold their primary elections. Then we’ll have to wait another year until November 2013 when Hondurans will elect a new president, as well as members of congress and municipal authorities.

Reflecting on what I read about the US elections and what I see here in Honduras, I’d like to suggest that there are serious flaws in the way that democracy is being practiced.

First, there is often a temptation to demonize the opposition.

Reading what some people were writing on Facebook was demoralizing. Not only were there outright lies, but the tone was downright ugly. Civility was absent as proponents of one candidate raged against another candidate, most often, but not exclusively, against President Obama.

Some of the ravings reminded me of the commentaries here in Honduras in the months before the June 2009 coup overthrew the elected president, Mel Zelaya.

Why is it that some people think that their opponent is demonic?

Secondly, there is a temptation to present one’s candidates as saviors.

I didn’t see this much in what I read about this happening in the US, though some supporters of President Obama approached his campaign.

But here is Honduras it’s more blatant. There’s even a political candidate whose theme is “Salvemos Honduras – Let us save Honduras.”

Thirdly, there is a tendency to see politics in terms of political leaders who will rescue us.

Politics is what the politicians do for us or against us, some think. Therefore, their roles are exaggerated as if everything political depends on them. Thus they can be viewed as either demons or saviors.

Fourthly, these temptations are based in a tendency to see elections as the ultimate act of democracy.

If democracy is reduced to elections, those elected are not considered accountable for their actions during their terms, but only when they seek re-election. What is important is who wins the elections, not how they serve.

In a different context, Monseñor Ricardo Urioste, who served under Archbishop Oscar Romero, said that “elections are a note in the symphony of democracy.” They are essential but not sufficient.

These temptations indicate a failure to take responsibility.

To ensure real democracy, people should vote but they should also participate in other ways of seeking to transform society. When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the US in 1831, he noted the importance of intermediary organizations, the civil society for the health of the republic. Involvement in civic organizations, unions, study and action groups, and pressure groups offer an alternative to the dyad of elected officials and those who elect them. They offer a place to influence policy from the perspective of the people. Recall the importance of the civil rights movement to make changes in our society. Pressure by the people is often more important than mere elections.

Furthermore, I believe that these temptations are rooted in placing trust in might, rather than the power of God.

The scriptures are clear:

“Not by power or by might, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord.

Or as the psalms note in several places, as in psalm 33: 16-17

The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

The might of the US empire is limited, not matter what we may think. A little humility would help all elected officials in the US and throughout the world. They are not the saviors and the “god complex” can lead to all sorts of evil.

In the face of this we need to work together in a different manner for the common good, and especially for the good of the poorest and marginalized.

But also we should pray.

Here is a prayer by noted biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann in his Prayers for a Privileged People,  that I found on the Facebook page of Tammy Walhoff:

Post-Election Day Prayer
            by Walter Brueggemann

You creator God

   who has ordered us

      in families and communities,

      in clans and tribes,

      in states and nations.

You creator God

   who enacts your governance

      in ways overt and

      in ways hidden.
You exercise your will for

   peace and for justice and for freedom.

We give you thanks for the peaceable order of

   our nation and for the chance of choosing—

      all the manipulative money notwithstanding.

We pray now for new governance

   that your will and purpose may prevail,

   that our leaders may have a sense

      of justice and goodness,

   that we as citizens may care about the

      public face of your purpose.

We pray in the name of Jesus who was executed

   by the authorities.