Two right-leaning contenders were neck and neck in the race for the presidency in Honduras, with nearly 55% of polling stations reporting their votes early Monday, according to initial and incomplete tallies. The election followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s involvement in a close race by backing one candidate and pledging to pardon a former president.
According to the National Electoral Council, Nasry (Tito) Asfura of the National Party had secured around 40% of the votes in the initial count, while Salvador Nasralla of the conservative Liberal Party had garnered approximately 39.78%. Rixi Moncada of the democratic socialist LIBRE party trailed with 19.49%.
Both Asfura and Nasralla refrained from claiming victory, emphasizing that it was still early in the vote count. Despite the initial excitement at their campaign headquarters, the atmosphere in Tegucigalpa, the capital, was relatively subdued on Sunday night as the counting process continued slowly.
Asfura, a 67-year-old former mayor of Tegucigalpa who received Trump’s endorsement, presented himself as a practical politician, highlighting his popular infrastructure initiatives. On the other hand, Nasralla, a 72-year-old sports commentator, has been associated with various political parties over the years and even teamed up with the current president Xiomara Castro’s ticket four years ago.
Following the release of the preliminary results late Sunday, Nasralla acknowledged that the race was still too close to determine. He expressed optimism that the remaining vote counts would work in his favor, leveraging Trump’s interference to enhance his outsider persona despite this being his fourth presidential bid.
Trump’s endorsement of Asfura on Friday, citing their potential collaboration against drug trafficking, raised eyebrows. The announcement of pardoning former president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year sentence for aiding drug traffickers, further stirred controversy. Democrats in Washington criticized Trump’s decision, pointing out the implications for the fight against narcotrafficking.
The candidates refrained from accepting the results outright, with Moncada expressing concerns about potential manipulation of the tallies. The lead-up to the election witnessed accusations of electoral malpractice among the top contenders, prompting warnings from both local and international observers about the credibility of the outcome.
As the election results unfolded, citizens like Melany Martínez voiced their apprehensions about potential post-election unrest and disapproved of foreign interference in the electoral process. Security and employment concerns weighed heavily on voters’ minds, despite some improvements in homicide and unemployment rates under Castro’s administration in recent years.