Trump-Backed Candidate Asfura Declared Incoming President of Honduras

Former President Trump-endorsed hopeful Nasry “Tito” Asfura was announced as the victor of Honduras’s race for the presidency after a vote count that dragged on for almost a month and was marred by claims of irregularities and accusations of interference by the American leader.

The rightwing Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and ex-mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, secured 40.27% of the vote, against 39.53% for the centre-right Salvador Nasralla, a difference of just 28,000 ballots.

The election authority declared a victor before completing the review of all tally sheets under a “special scrutiny” launched last week to recount votes marked as “inconsistent”. The move was criticised by unsuccessful contenders and lamented by the Organization of American States, which sent an observation mission to the poll held on 30 November.

Asfura has already declared himself president-elect. “The nation, we now have the official declaration from the CNE [supreme electoral tribunal]. I recognise the great work undertaken by the members and the whole staff that ran the election. My fellow citizens: I am prepared to lead. I will not fail you. God bless Honduras,” he wrote.

Nasralla refused to concede and posted a series of statements alleging fraud in the counting process, including “tampering with official records”, claiming that “the figures from the initial count sheets were altered”.

The electoral council is made up of three councillors: one affiliated with Asfura’s party, one with Nasralla’s, and one with the party of the leftist president, Xiomara Castro, whose nominee came in third place. Asfura’s win was announced only by the first two councillors.

The member associated with the president’s party refused to recognise the result, claimed that an “electoral coup” was under way and filed a legal challenge with the public prosecutor’s office, raising the prospect that the result will be contested in court.

In its statement, the council said: “By the majority will of the people of Honduras, expressed freely at the polls, the plenary session of the CNE proclaims Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah legitimate president of the Republic of Honduras for the four-year term starting 27 January 2026 and concluding on 27 January 2030.”

The proclamation prior to the conclusion of the recount was the most recent in a series of controversies that marked the Central American country’s election campaign, beginning with what many saw as open interference by the US president.

Days before the vote, Trump publicly backed Asfura, said the US would back the next government only if he won, and criticized the other main contenders, labeling 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 former Honduran president and Asfura supporter Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been given 45 years in prison for reportedly creating “a cocaine superhighway to the United States”.

The American top diplomat, Marco Rubio, offered congratulations to Asfura on social media. “The people of Honduras have made their choice: Nasry Asfura is Honduras’ next president,” stated Rubio. “The United States congratulates the elected president Asfura and looks forward to collaborating with his administration to promote prosperity and safety in our region.”