Former US President-Endorsed Candidate Asfura Declared New Head of State of Honduras
Donald Trump-backed candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura was announced as the victor of Honduras’s presidential election following a vote count that dragged on for almost a month and was overshadowed by claims of irregularities and criticism of meddling from the American leader.
The conservative Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and former mayor of the capital city, Tegucigalpa, obtained 40.27% of the vote, compared to 39.53% for the moderate right Salvador Nasralla, a margin of just 28,000 votes.
The electoral council proclaimed a winner prior to finishing the examination of all tally sheets under a “extraordinary review” initiated last week to recount votes marked as “inconsistent”. The decision was decried by defeated candidates and deplored by the OAS, which deployed an observation mission 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 [electoral council]. I acknowledge the tremendous effort carried out by the councillors and the whole staff that ran the election. My fellow citizens: I am ready to govern. I will not let you down. God bless Honduras,” he wrote.
Nasralla refused to concede and published a number of messages alleging fraud in the tallying procedure, including “forgery of public documents”, asserting that “the figures from the original tally sheets were changed”.
The electoral council is composed of three members: one affiliated with Asfura’s party, one with Nasralla’s, and one with the party of the leftist president, Xiomara Castro, whose candidate finished third. Asfura’s victory was announced only by the first two councillors.
The representative linked to the president’s party refused to recognise the result, alleged that an “stolen election” was taking place and filed a legal challenge with the attorney general, opening the possibility that the result will be contested in court.
In its announcement, the council said: “By the sovereign choice of the people of Honduras, expressed sovereignly at the polls, the full council 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 declaration prior to the conclusion of the review was the latest in a series of controversies that characterized the Central American country’s election campaign, starting with what many saw as open interference by the US president.
Shortly prior to the vote, Trump publicly backed Asfura, stated the US would support the next government only if he won, and attacked the other main contenders, calling them socialists or associates of Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.
On the night of the election, the American leader also announced a pardon for the ex-leader of Honduras and Asfura ally Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been given 45 years in prison for allegedly establishing “a cocaine superhighway to the United States”.
The American top diplomat, Marco Rubio, congratulated Asfura on social media. “The citizens of Honduras have made their choice: Nasry Asfura is Honduras’ incoming leader,” said Rubio. “The United States congratulates the elected president Asfura and anticipates working with his government to advance prosperity and security in our hemisphere.”
