Partial results of the presidential election indicate an advantage for two conservative candidates. Campaign was marked by interference from the US president, who threatened to cut financial aid to the country.
Two conservative candidates appear in the lead in the vote count in Honduras’ presidential election, after a campaign marked by explicit interference from US President Donald Trump.
Initial results of the count released this Monday (01/12) by the National Electoral Council (CNE), indicate that Nasry “Tito” Asfura, from the National Party – openly supported Donald Trump – and Salvador Nasralla, from the Liberal Party, were competing vote by vote for the first position.
With 44% of the votes counted, Asfura had just over 40% of the votes, followed closely by Nasralla, with around 39%. The government candidate, the leftist Rixi Moncada, appeared well behind in third place, with approximately 20% of the votes.
The winner of the election will be the candidate who obtains the highest number of votes. The country’s electoral system does not include a second round contest.
Nasry “Tito” Asfura, of the National Party, received support from United States President Donald Trump | Leonel Estrada/Reuters
Tense atmosphere during the campaign
The election took place on Sunday (11/30). Around 6.5 million Hondurans were eligible to choose the successor to left-wing President Xiomara Castro, as well as new members of Parliament and local authorities.
Polls did not show an outright favorite before voting day. The political climate was tense in the country, with members of the government and opposition accusing each other of planning electoral fraud.
Before the polls opened, the left-leaning Moncada said she would not recognize the preliminary electronic results the night after the election and would wait for the final count of all paper ballots.
In 2017, protests against alleged electoral fraud left more than 20 people dead in Honduras, a country marked by the prevalence of poverty, violence related to drug trafficking and corruption.
Trump’s open support for Asfura and threat
A few days before the vote, Trump declared open support for Asfura, whom he called “the only true friend of freedom in Honduras”, in order to combat what he described as “narco-communism” and confront Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump also threatened to cut financial aid to the country if his candidate was not elected, saying the US “will not throw away good money”. “A mistaken leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country,” he said in a post on his social network Truth Social, on Friday.
The American promised that, if Asfura wins, there would be “a lot of support” for the country plagued by poverty and waves of migration of its citizens to North America.
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted in the US of trafficking, could receive a pardon from Trump | Elmer Martinez/AP Photo/picture alliance
Washington’s support, just days before the elections, came along with the nod to a possible pardon for former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022), sentenced to 45 years in prison in the US for drug trafficking and a member of Asfura’s party.
Voting without major incidents
The CNE has up to 30 days to formally declare a winner. The electoral authority reported a high turnout rate, with 2.8 million voters participating in the election.
According to the council, the vote went peacefully, although the opening hours were extended by an hour due to long queues. There were also reports of alleged obstacles for observers during the vote recount and damaged ballot boxes.
Xiomara Castro assumed the Presidency in 2022, being the first woman to govern the country. She is the wife of former president Manuel Zelaya, deposed in 2009 in a coup d’état, after which Asfura’s National Party remained in power for more than 10 years.
Originally published by DW on 12/01/2025
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/12/01/apos-pressao-de-trump-direita-lidera-eleicoes-em-honduras/
