Central America
Former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli flees to Colombia after 15 months in Nicaraguan embassy
Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli traveled to Colombia on Saturday after being granted asylum, ending a 15-month stay in the Nicaraguan embassy where he had taken refuge to avoid serving an almost 11-year prison sentence for money laundering, Panama’s Foreign Ministry announced.
The Panamanian government “granted the necessary safe conduct” for the “safe departure of the asylee, Panamanian citizen Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal,” to Colombia, whose government had approved his asylum request, the ministry said in a statement.
The 73-year-old right-wing former leader had been living in the Nicaraguan embassy since February 7, 2024, shortly after his conviction was upheld for using public funds to acquire a media group during his 2009–2014 presidency.
Martinelli, also a supermarket chain owner, left the embassy in a diplomatic vehicle and was taken to an airport from which he departed to Colombia, according to the statement, which did not provide further details.
In March, President José Raúl Mulino — a right-wing politician who won the May 5, 2024 elections largely due to Martinelli’s popularity — authorized safe conduct for Martinelli to travel to Managua. However, the Nicaraguan government, led by Daniel Ortega, refused to accept him, citing Panama’s failure to guarantee that the former leader was not subject to an Interpol red notice.
Despite his legal troubles, Martinelli remained highly popular in Panama and was the frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race until his conviction disqualified him. His close ally, Mulino, ultimately took his place as candidate and won the presidency.
Central America
Honduras Extends Voting by One Hour Amid High Turnout, CNE Announces
The National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that polling stations will remain open an extra hour due to the high voter turnout in Honduras’ general elections this Sunday.
These elections—the twelfth since the country returned to constitutional order in 1980 after nearly two decades of military governments—will now run until 6:00 p.m. local time (00:00 GMT), the CNE said in a statement.
The extension may only be applied for the additional hour established in the Electoral Law, and polling stations may close only after the last voter already in line at closing time has cast their ballot, ensuring that all those waiting are able to participate, the CNE added.
More than six million of Honduras’ ten million inhabitants were called to the polls to elect the successor to leftist President Xiomara Castro, as well as 298 municipal mayors, 128 members of the national Congress, and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament.
The presidential race features Rixi Moncada, candidate of the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre); Nasry Asfura of the National Party, the main opposition force—publicly endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump—and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, also running from the opposition.
Before the extension was announced, the CNE had indicated it would release its first preliminary report around 9:00 p.m. local time (03:00 GMT) and a second one at 11:00 p.m. (05:00 GMT). Final results must be published within 30 days following the election.
Central America
Honduras’ China–Taiwan Future Hinges on Sunday’s Presidential Election
The future of Honduras’ diplomatic relations with China—or a possible reestablishment of ties with Taiwan—will hinge on the results of the presidential election taking place this Sunday, November 30. The ruling left-wing party is seeking to remain in power, while conservative parties aim to return to government.
If the ruling party’s candidate, Rixi Moncada of the Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) Party, secures victory, Honduras is expected to deepen its relationship with China. The country established formal diplomatic ties with Beijing in March 2023, cutting relations with Taiwan entirely under President Xiomara Castro.
However, the bilateral trade relationship with China has not yielded the expected benefits. Economic Development Minister Fredis Cerrato acknowledged that negotiating with Beijing has proven challenging. “We are proceeding with caution,” he said, referring to ongoing efforts to secure better conditions for Honduran exporters and business owners, who are demanding greater speed in technical agreements.
With Castro’s term ending in just two months, the long-anticipated free trade agreement with China has yet to be finalized. Despite this, Chinese companies have already secured multimillion-dollar contracts in infrastructure projects across the country, particularly in the energy sector.
Central America
Trump Pardons Former Honduran President Hernández and Warns of Aid Cuts Ahead of Election
On Friday, President Donald Trump granted a pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández — who was convicted on drug trafficking charges — and threatened to cut U.S. aid to the Central American nation if his preferred candidate loses Sunday’s presidential election.
Trump announced the pardon for Hernández, who is currently serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States, through a post on social media.
In the same message, the former U.S. president voiced his support for Nasry Asfura, the candidate representing Hernández’s right-wing party in the Honduran elections.
“If he doesn’t win, the United States will not waste any more money, because the wrong leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which one it is,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.
Asfura, a 67-year-old construction magnate and former mayor of Honduras’s capital, is competing in a tight race against attorney Rixi Moncada of the ruling leftist Libre party and television host Salvador Nasralla of the right-leaning Liberal Party.
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