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US denies visa to Honduran electoral official as election results delay

By Thomson Reuters Dec 19, 2025 | 8:31 PM

Dec 19 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on ‍Friday that the State Department has refused the visa application of Marlon Ochoa, a member ‌of the Honduran ‌National Electoral Council.

Honduras’ presidential election took place on November 30 but nearly three weeks later ​there is still no clarity on ‍who will ​be the country’s ​next president. The chaotic ‍elections have been rocked by a fumbled vote tallying process, allegations of fraud and U.S. ‍intervention.

“The Department has refused the visa application of Marlon Ochoa ‍and ‍taken steps to ​impose visa restrictions ​on ⁠another individual for ‌undermining democracy in Honduras,” Rubio said in a statement.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Saad ⁠Sayeed)