Beloved Honduran mayor stood out in bloody electoral season

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

CANTARRANAS, Honduras (AP) — Two weeks before Honduran elections, Cantarranas Mayor Francisco Gaitan appeared untouchable as he pursued a fifth consecutive term. The rare politician here who had clear plans to improve the lives of his constituents and worked doggedly to fulfill them. The list of reasons why people loved the bespectacled agricultural engineer was long. So Gaitan’s Nov. 13 murder in a farming community was a complete shock. Gaitan’s was the most resonant murder in another bloody Honduran election campaign. The National Autonomous University of Honduras’ Violence Observatory counted 20 murdered politicians between last Dec. 15 and Sept. 15 of this year and four in November.