Nasry Asfura, a conservative presidential contender publicly supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, was formally declared the winner on Wednesday—more than three weeks after Honduras held its November 30 election, a process slowed by technical failures, reporting delays, and accusations of vote tampering.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) said Asfura received 40.3% of the vote, narrowly ahead of center-right Liberal Party rival Salvador Nasralla, who finished with 39.5%. Rixi Moncada, representing the governing LIBRE party, trailed far behind in third place.
Election officials acknowledged that roughly 15% of tally documents—covering hundreds of thousands of ballots—required manual verification due to missing or unreadable results. The exceptionally small margin, combined with system breakdowns in the national vote-processing infrastructure, pushed election authorities to rely on hand counting to finalize the outcome.
Trump Support Shapes Diplomatic and Domestic Tension
Asfura campaigned on a strongly pro-business platform, arguing that private sector investment was essential to strengthen Honduras’ economy. His core priorities included job creation, improved education access, and expanded security policies.
He also suggested that his government may reassess Honduras’ diplomatic alignment in East Asia, including the possibility of shifting recognition from Taiwan.
Political tensions surged as the count dragged on. LIBRE party leaders repeatedly denounced the process, calling for public demonstrations against what they labeled an attempt to overturn the electorate’s mandate. Some protests temporarily disrupted manual counting, restricting officials from entering the facility where election records were stored.
Only two of the three electoral council members appeared in the official announcement approving the results. The third member, Marlon Ochoa, was absent from the session, a detail critics later highlighted in political statements rejecting the outcome.
Nasralla dismissed the CNE declaration, arguing that eligible ballots had been left out of the final calculation. While rejecting the decision, he urged supporters to avoid escalation.
“This is the saddest Christmas for the Honduran people,” Nasralla said during a Tuesday press briefing in Tegucigalpa, marking his third unsuccessful presidential run.
Congress President Luis Redondo, of the LIBRE party, also rejected the result, writing online that the declaration was unlawful and invalid. Meanwhile, Washington confirmed its support for the outcome, congratulating Asfura and calling for a peaceful transition.
Kremlin officials said they were aware of the election decision and signaled continued diplomatic communication through active government channels.
Despite opposition pushback, the inauguration is scheduled for January 27, 2026, for the 2026–2030 presidential term.