Incriminating audio. A military demanding oversight. And a powerful leader from abroad, trying to sway voters to the right.Those are just three of the scandals that have made Sunday’s presidential election in Honduras one of the most closely watched votes in the country’s history.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAlready, even before the polls have opened, some high-level politicians are alleging that a stolen vote is under way.Outgoing President Xiomara Castro, for instance, has compared the situation to a “criminal conspiracy aimed at staging an electoral coup”.But experts who spoke to Al Jazeera said that the public has grown accustomed to the uncertainty and upheaval.After all, Honduras’s democracy is only about four decades old, and during that time, the country has struggled with government corruption and even a coup d’etat.“Obviously, there’s a fear of violence or a coup,” said Daniel Valladares, an activist and history professor at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. “But it’s a fear we’ve always had.”In the final days before the election, Valladares has observed a tense calm grip the Central American country.“The environment is normal,” he said. “It’s the same thing people always say: ‘I hope there isn’t a sh** show.’” The leading presidential candidates include Nasry Asfura of the National Party, Rixi Moncada of the LIBRE party, and Salvador Na …
