This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 TEGUCIGALPA 002038 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G, DRL/PHD, S/P, WHA/PPC, WHA/USOAS, AND WHA/CEN 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAM AND DCHA/DG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2015 
TAGS: KDEM PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI HO
SUBJECT: DEMOCRACY PROMOTION STRATEGIES FOR HONDURAS: 
NOVEMBER 27 GENERAL ELECTIONS KEY TO DEMOCRATIZATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 169581 
 
     ¶B. STATE 156961 
     ¶C. TEGUCIGALPA 1987 
     ¶D. TEGUCIGALPA 1643 
     ¶E. TEGUCIGALPA 886 
     ¶F. FY2007 MISSION PROGRAM PLAN 
     ¶G. 04 TEGUCIGALPA 1701 
     ¶H. (ALL NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affairs, a.i. James Williard; 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Post is providing suggested democracy promotion 
strategies for the next six to eight months, keyed to 
questions in ref A.  Post emphasizes the importance of the 
November 27 general elections and January 2006 transition to 
a new president/vice president, congress, and municipal 
governments.  The promotion of Democratic Systems and 
Practices is the number one strategic goal of Post's Mission 
Program Plan (MPP) for FY2007 (ref F), as it was in the 
FY2006 MPP, and many of the issues discussed in this cable 
are also discussed in the FY2007 MPP. 
 
a. Identify the key areas of democratic deficit and the 3-5 
most important desired outcomes over the next 6-8 months: 
 
Areas of democratic deficit 
-Deeply entrenched patronage culture. 
-General acceptance/apathy for corruption along with little 
or no respect for laws from all levels. 
-Weak civil society. 
-An economic and political environment controlled by a small 
group of political/economic elites. 
-Lack of political will at all levels of the national 
government. 
-Lack of implementations of laws. 
 
Desired outcomes 
-Political and economic change through reform and 
implementation of the electoral laws; introduce new political 
leadership through November 27 national elections for 
president, congress, and municipalities. 
-Support and promote reforms within the new Congress by new, 
uncorrupted legislators; support legislative reform. 
-Strengthen coalitions of civil society, including 
professional associations that can push for reforms from 
inside and outside government. 
-Facilitate greater transparency to the legal system; 
strengthen the implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code; 
facilitate the passage and implementation of a new Civil 
Procedure Code and other laws that negate old practices that 
promoted corruption and cronyism. 
 
b. Outline a 6-month diplomatic and programmatic strategy to 
achieve the outcomes: 
 
In Honduras, democratic institutions are not mature enough to 
prevent abuses of power, which are often significant. 
Political and economic power is concentrated in a small elite 
that does not countenance the emergence of economic 
challengers or accept that a rising tide would lift all 
ships.  In a very real sense, Honduras is a captured state. 
Elite manipulation of the public sector, particularly the 
weak legal system, has turned it into a tool to protect the 
powerful.  Other citizens are left defenseless on a wide 
range of governance issues, and dramatic social inequities 
are maintained and reinforced, impacting the most vulnerable 
populations.  The widespread distortions of democratic 
processes in Honduras create formidable barriers to 
sustainable economic development and poverty reduction. 
Although elections are considered free and fair, voters 
choose mainly between the two major entrenched political 
parties, both beholden to the interests of individuals from 
the same economic elite.  The political system is focused 
more on party loyalty and interests than on the government's 
responsiveness to citizens.  Corruption and cronyism 
reinforce a general lack of democratic legitimacy and a 
widespread perception of inequities in governance, allowing 
widespread crime and violence to flourish and threaten public 
security.  Frustration, cynicism and apathy have mounted 
among citizens, particularly in rural areas, as people see 
little positive impact on their lives from continued 
political promises and pronouncements on reform. 
 
Addressing these challenges facing democracy in Honduras 
requires an integrated strategy that will give people the 
means to influence public policy, push for transparency and 
accountability in government, and reinforce the operation of 
checks and balances.  Traditional, top-down reform, induced 
by international diplomats and donors alone, will not be 
effective in addressing underlying problems of political 
manipulation, corruption and lack of transparency. 
Partnerships developed with local government and broad 
stakeholder-based civil society efforts, including efforts 
within institutions by professional associations, will be 
critical in promoting, achieving, and sustaining responsive 
and accountable governance. 
 
The following interventions over the next six months will 
strengthen these longer-term efforts at building a 
sustainable, democratic foundation: 
-Support implementation of the electoral reforms and 
post-election efforts by civil society to inform the public. 
-Support and strengthen role of civil society. 
-Support reform-minded legislators and fund legislative 
strengthening activities such as introducing legislative 
interns, legislative research, and sending new legislators on 
International Visitor Programs (IVPs). 
-Support fora addressing legal reforms, including guest 
speakers and high-level USG visitors. 
-Support fora disseminating findings by host country entities 
on democracy and governance surveys. 
 
c. Identify major needs from the Department of State or other 
parts of the USG, including resources, high-level visits, 
public diplomacy-related efforts, that would support 
accomplishing these objectives: 
 
-Funds to support voter education and domestic and 
international election observation missions to combat 
election fraud (see refs C, D, F, and G). 
-Follow up initiatives by civil society after the elections 
to strengthen the electoral laws and political party finance 
oversight. 
-Funding to support civil society fora, including high-level 
USG visits, to support key democratic reforms and exchange 
with other Latin American countries; these can help bring 
pressure on national authorities to move forward with 
reforms. 
-Support the dissemination of democracy and governance 
surveys (such as the USAID's LAC/CAM Regional DG Survey) that 
raise the awareness of the public, media and governments to 
core democracy issues (such as corruption, confidence in 
government, etc.). 
 
d. Identify major impediments, including resource, political, 
or structural, to accomplishing these outcomes: 
 
-Funding.  Post has repeatedly requested funds to support 
voter education and domestic election observation efforts to 
combat election fraud (see refs C, D, F, and G).  Post 
received partial funding of these requests prior to the 
February primary elections but has yet to receive anything 
for the November general elections. 
-Honduran political will. 
-Shortage of staff in U.S. Mission offices.  The position of 
Deputy Political Chief/Labor Attache is currently vacant due 
to the "Iraq tax" and will remain vacant until being filled 
in summer 2006.  This is despite the fact that during the 
2005-06 time frame there are national elections and a 
transition to a new government. 
 
e. Identify other countries, organizations or groups which 
have significant influence on the host government or elements 
of the society that can contribute significantly (positive or 
negative) to democratization efforts: 
 
-Civil society, municipal associations, and professional 
associations. 
-Peer groups from other Latin American countries, 
particularly in the justice sector. 
-International donors.  For example, Japan and Taiwan have 
programs which indirectly effect the implementation of 
democracy and the affect of USG programs. 
- Cuba: the infiltration of Cuban doctors and scholarships 
for Hondurans to attend medical school in Cuba in both cases 
exposes Hondurans to GOC communist ideology and is a 
significant negative contribution for democratization 
efforts.  (See forthcoming septel for more information on 
Cuban doctors.) 
-Venezuela: alleged funding of leftist organizations and 
political movements in Honduras is a negative contribution. 
(See ref E for details.) 
-Drug money: profits from narcotics smuggling alleged to be 
funding political campaigns on both sides of the aisle. 
 
f. Identify the key areas of democracy promotion supported by 
the host government, including engagement in international or 
regional organizations, and bilateral support.  Identify 
areas in which the host-government's policies undermine or 
run contrary to the USG's democracy promotion policy: 
 
Key areas of democracy promotion 
 
Supported 
-Allowed Organization of American States Election Observation 
Mission (EOM) and domestic NGO EOM during February primary 
elections to promote transparency by having, in the field, 
international and domestic election observers.  GOH set to do 
the same for November general elections. 
-GOH is an active participant in the OAS and its associated 
institutions and the UN and its associated institutions on 
democracy and human rights. 
-Honduran Minister of Defense has signed the SOUTHCOM Human 
Rights Consensus Document, which formally acknowledges that 
the Honduran Armed Forces (HOAF) are bound to and supportive 
of all national and international instruments on human rights 
to which Honduras is a party.  By having signed the Human 
Rights Consensus Document, the HOAF becomes eligible for 
formal SOUTHCOM human rights training, and assistance in 
developing and implementing a HOAF human rights program. 
This initiative has had the personal support of the Chief of 
the Joint Chiefs of Staff in all phases to date. 
-HOAF are fully subordinated to their democratically elected 
civilian leadership, consistent with the rule of law, and 
played a key role in the primaries in securing election 
materials. 
 
Undermined 
-Lack of political will to combat corruption - failure to 
provide resources for investigators, internal affairs, 
auditors; strong political interference with justice system 
(police, prosecutors, and judges). 
-Disregard for laws at all levels of society. 
-Rampant corruption. 
-Insufficient funding for institutions key to 
democratization, such as the Supreme Electoral Tribunal 
(TSE), Public Ministry, etc.. 
 
g. Evaluate the consequences of pursuing this proactive 
reform agenda in the host country: 
 
Support and strengthen electoral reforms: 
-Reduce the excessive control exerted by political/economic 
elites over the country by making legislative representatives 
more accountable to their electorate. 
-Educate and strengthen the electorate's knowledge of their 
role and responsibilities. 
-Strengthen electoral authorities in making the elections and 
political parties more transparent and accountable. 
 
Strengthening civil society and professional associations: 
-Create sustainable foundation for reform that rests with the 
stakeholders in the country. 
-Provide the people with the means to influence public 
policy, push for transparency and accountability in 
government, and reinforce the operation of checks and 
balances; increase their ability to withstand political 
intervention. 
-Engage the people in taking on their role and 
responsibilities in a democracy. 
 
The Embassy has been and will continue to pursue a proactive 
reform agenda, not only on democracy and human rights, but 
also on other issues that have the goal of helping Honduras 
become a more democratic country, with greater respect for 
human rights and the rule, less corruption, and increased 
economic growth and opportunity.  Post aims to ensure that 
Honduran democracy seeks the best interests of all Hondurans, 
and not just the privileged elite. 
Williard