Beloved Honduran mayor stood out in bloody electoral season

Two weeks before Honduran elections, Cantarranas Mayor Francisco Gaitan appeared untouchable as he pursued a fifth consecutive term

CANTARRANAS, Honduras -- San Luis was the eighth stop on a tour of nine villages for Francisco “Paquito” Gaitan, the popular mayor of this municipality perched in the mountains outside the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

Two weeks before the elections, 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.

In San Luis it started with the electricity he brought years ago to the farming community of about 120 people some 40 minutes drive down rough road from downtown Cantarranas, and it included potable water and a new school he insisted have two classrooms.

So Gaitan’s Nov. 13 murder on the doorstep of Luis Rodríguez’s home in San Luis was a complete shock. Not only was it the first murder anyone could remember there, but it was their beloved mayor as he showed Rodríguez’s 93-year-old father and others a sample ballot to prepare them for election day.