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Central America

Tropical Storm Lisa moves towards Mexico after lashing Belize

Photo: Johan Ordonez / AFP

| By AFP |

Tropical Storm Lisa slowed on Thursday after making landfall in Belize, causing flooding and plunging parts of the country into darkness as it churned westwards toward Mexico. 

Both Mexico and Belize dropped their coastal tropical storm warnings as the former hurricane weakened and headed west at 10 miles per hour (16 kilometers per hour), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.

Forecasters warned that the tourist-popular coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula should continue monitoring the situation as the maximum sustained winds decreased to around 45 mph (75 kph). 

For the next day or so, the storm system is expected to pack a gusty punch and deliver heavy rain, swells and flash flooding to northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico, further weakening as it moves inland.

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Lisa slammed into the Sibun River just southwest of economic hub and former capital Belize City around 2120 GMT on Wednesday, uprooting trees, downing power lines and inundating streets.

“It’s very dangerous for us” because in Belize “it floods quickly, even with moderate rain,” Jasmin Ayuso, a 21-year-old secretary, told AFP.

A state of emergency was declared in two areas, while a curfew was in effect until dawn on Thursday.

Some parts of Belize were left without power as the storm lashed the country of about 405,000 people.

“BEL is aware of power outages affecting several areas of the country,” the utility wrote on Facebook. “We assure the public that our teams are taking note of the reports of damages to the power system, including fallen power lines and poles.”

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Schools and most businesses were closed in anticipation of the storm and the government set up several shelters. 

In Belize City and neighboring areas, local media showed weather-battered buildings, flooded streets and yanked out trees after Lisa landed. 

The storm is forecast to be further downgraded to a tropical depression by the end of the day before dissipating over Mexico.

Evacuations in Guatemala

The NHC said Lisa could drop up to 10 inches (250 millimetres) of rain in some areas of Belize, northern Guatemala and several states in southern Mexico.

The Yucatan Peninsula, Honduras’ Bay Islands and other areas of Central America were forecast to receive up to six inches of rain. 

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In Guatemala, heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in the northernmost department Peten on the border with Belize.

About 143 people were evacuated and 48 remain in a shelter, Oscar Cossio, secretary of the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), told a press conference. 

Schools in the north canceled classes.

Lisa arrives not even three weeks after the passage of Julia, another Category 1 hurricane, which caused dozens of deaths in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Lisa is the 12th named storm this season, a designation given to systems that produce winds of 39 mph (63 kph) or greater, according to the NHC.

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Last year’s active Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs from June through November, saw 21 named storms.

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Central America

Honduras election crisis deepens as CNE president denounces intimidation attempts

Tegucigalpa remains engulfed in a deep post-electoral crisis, marked by the absence of final results from the general elections held on November 30. On Thursday, the presiding counselor of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Ana Paola Hall, publicly denounced acts of intimidation that she warned could jeopardize the final phase of the process.

Following a meeting with the G-16+ diplomatic corps, Hall expressed concern over two specific incidents: a call by former president Manuel Zelaya summoning supporters of the Libre Party to gather outside the INFOP facilities—where electoral records and materials are being safeguarded—and a statement issued by the Permanent Commission of Congress accusing her and counselor Cossette López of alleged electoral crimes, an action she described as “baseless and outside their jurisdiction.”

Hall reaffirmed her institutional commitment and warned that she will not allow interference in the announcement of the results. “Honduras comes first,” she emphasized, underscoring her intention to defend the electoral process as a cornerstone of democracy.

Meanwhile, the preliminary results place Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura, candidate of the National Party, in the lead with 40.52%of the vote, followed closely by Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, with 39.48%. The ruling party’s candidate, Rixi Moncada of Libre, is in third place with 19.29%. Around 0.6% of the tally sheets—many of them showing inconsistencies—have yet to be reviewed.

The Organization of American States (OAS) called an extraordinary session of its Permanent Council to analyze the situation, while civil organizations and governments such as Paraguay’s urged respect for the popular will.

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Honduran President Xiomara Castro accused the United States, and specifically former president Donald Trump, of obstructing the process, while also denouncing threats from gangs against voters aligned with her party.

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Central America

OAS and EU urge honduran political actors to respect vote results and avoid unrest

The Electoral Observation Missions of the Organization of American States (OAS/EOM) and the European Union (EU EOM) issued an urgent call on Wednesday urging political actors in Honduras to respect the will expressed at the polls on November 30 and to refrain from inciting public disorder while the vote count is being finalized.

Both missions called on candidates, political parties, and authorities to act responsibly and maintain “active vigilance” over the vote-counting process.

So far, the National Electoral Council (CNE) has processed 99.4% of the tally sheets, but 2,773 still show inconsistencies, representing more than 500,000 unverified votes. The electoral body has not set a date for the special review, though it could begin later this week.

“The OAS/EOM reminds that electoral authorities are the only ones empowered to validate the results and reiterates its rejection of any call to disrupt public order,” the mission said in an official statement.

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Central America

U.S. finds no evidence of fraud in Honduras election despite delays

The United States government said on Tuesday that it has found no evidence of electoral fraud in Honduras’ presidential election, despite several days of delays in the vote count caused by technical issues.

“We are not aware of any credible evidence supporting a call for annulment,” a State Department spokesperson told EFE in response to complaints over the slow release of official results. Washington emphasized that the elections were monitored by international observers, including representatives from the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union (EU), and national entities, which it said strengthens the legitimacy of the process.

In the current tally, conservative candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura—backed by U.S. President Donald Trump—remains in the lead with 1,298,835 votes (40.52%), while his rival, Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, has 1,256,428 votes (39.48%). The difference of 42,407 ballots is based on the latest report from the National Electoral Council (CNE), with 99.40% of the tally completed.

According to the Trump administration, the vote reflects a clear rejection of the governing leftist Libre party, led by outgoing President Xiomara Castro.

“The CNE should certify the election results promptly,” the spokesperson said, urging all political actors to respect the independence of electoral institutions and comply with Honduras’ legal framework.

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The vote count—now stretching past four days—has fueled tension and uncertainty among the population. CNE president Ana Paola Hall attributed the delays to unspecified “technical problems.”

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