Nasry Asfura has been declared the winner of Honduras’s presidential election after weeks of delays stemming from technical problems and allegations of fraud. The conservative National Party candidate received 40.3% of the vote, narrowly defeating Salvador Nasralla of the centre-right Liberal Party, who garnered 39.5%, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Honduras Election Results and Challenges
The vote, held on November 30, experienced delays due to technical outages that electoral officials deemed “inexcusable.” Ana Paola Hall, the president of the CNE, attributed the delays to a private company responsible for tabulating the results, alleging they conducted maintenance without prior notification or coordination with the CNE. The portal displaying real-time results also crashed the day before the stoppage.
Approximately 15% of the tally sheets required manual counting due to the issues with the processing system, contributing to the prolonged uncertainty. The tight race and tumultuous counting process fueled tensions, leading to protests across the country last week, including demonstrations in the capital, Tegucigalpa, by supporters of the governing Libre party who alleged fraud.
Outgoing President Xiomara Castro had previously claimed an “electoral coup” was underway and accused former US President Donald Trump of interference. Trump endorsed Asfura and warned of “hell to pay” if his narrow lead was overturned, even threatening to withdraw financial support from the US if Asfura did not win.
In a surprising move, Trump also pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, a member of Asfura’s National Party, who was serving a 45-year jail sentence in the US on drug and weapons charges.
Following the announcement of Asfura’s victory, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged all parties to respect the result “so that Honduran authorities may ensure a peaceful transition of authority.” He stated the US would “look forward to working with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security co-operation,” and collaborate to “end illegal immigration to the United States” while strengthening economic ties.
However, Luis Redondo, the president of Honduras’s Congress, denounced the result as “completely illegal.” Salvador Nasralla also accused “corrupt people” of manipulating the vote count and stated that Trump’s comments had negatively impacted his chances of winning.
Asfura stated on X, “Honduras: I am ready to govern. I will not let you down.” Xiomara Castro was constitutionally barred from seeking a second term.
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