Former US President-Endorsed Contender Asfura Declared Incoming President of the Central American Nation
Donald Trump-backed candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura was announced as the winner of Honduras’s presidential election following a ballot tally that dragged on for nearly four weeks and was marred by fraud allegations and criticism of meddling from the American leader.
The conservative Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and ex-mayor of the capital city, Tegucigalpa, secured 40.27% of the vote, against 39.53% for the centre-right Salvador Nasralla, a difference of just 28,000 ballots.
The electoral council proclaimed a winner before completing the examination of all tally sheets under a “extraordinary review” launched last week to re-tally votes flagged as “irregular”. The decision was criticised by defeated candidates and lamented by the OAS, which sent an monitoring team to the poll held on 30 November.
Asfura has already declared himself the elected president. “The nation, we now have the official declaration from the CNE [supreme electoral tribunal]. I recognise the tremendous effort undertaken by the members and the entire team that administered the election. My fellow citizens: I am prepared to lead. I will not let you down. God bless Honduras,” he wrote.
Nasralla declined to accept defeat and posted a number of messages alleging fraud in the counting process, including “tampering with official records”, asserting that “the figures from the original tally sheets were altered”.
The electoral council is composed of three members: one aligned with Asfura’s party, one with Nasralla’s, and one with the party of the progressive president, Xiomara Castro, whose candidate came in third place. Asfura’s victory was announced only by the initial pair of councillors.
The member linked to the president’s party rejected the outcome, claimed that an “stolen election” was taking place and lodged a complaint with the attorney general, opening the possibility that the outcome will be challenged in court.
In its statement, the council said: “By the majority will of the Honduran people, expressed sovereignly at the ballot box, the plenary session of the CNE proclaims Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah legitimate president of the Republic of Honduras for the presidential term starting 27 January 2026 and concluding on 27 January 2030.”
The proclamation prior to the conclusion of the review was the most recent in a string of controversies that marked the Central American country’s election campaign, beginning with what many saw as blatant meddling by the American head of state.
Days before the vote, Trump openly endorsed Asfura, stated the US would support the next government only if he was victorious, and attacked the other main contenders, calling them communists or associates of Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.
On the night of the election, the American leader also granted clemency for the ex-leader of Honduras and Asfura supporter Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been given 45 years in prison for reportedly establishing “a major drug trafficking route to the United States”.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, congratulated Asfura on social media. “The people of Honduras have made their choice: Nasry Asfura is Honduras’ next president,” said Rubio. “The United States extends its congratulations to the elected president Asfura and anticipates working with his government to promote economic growth and security in our hemisphere.”
