Trump-backed candidate Nasri Asfulla wins Honduras presidential election

Nasry Asfura has been declared the winner of Honduras’ presidential election after weeks of delays due to technical problems and accusations of fraud.

The candidate of the conservative National Party, backed by US President Donald Trump, won with 40.3% of the vote, beating Salvador Nasralla of the centre-right Liberal Party, who received 39.5% of the vote, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).

Asfra posted on X, “Honduras: I am ready to govern. I will not let you down.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged all parties to respect the outcome “so that Honduran authorities can ensure a peaceful transition of power.”

But the president of the country’s Congress, Luis Redondo, posted that the result was “totally illegal.”

The vote was held on November 30, but counting was twice delayed by technical glitches that election officials said were “inexcusable.”

CNE president Ana Paola Hall blamed the delays on the private company responsible for tabulating the results.

She said the company performed maintenance without warning or checking with CNE.

The service was halted a day after the portal showing live results crashed.

The election results were tight and due to the chaotic nature of the processing system, approximately 15% of the vote tallies had to be counted by hand to determine the winner.

Tensions are high in Honduras as protests across the country were postponed last week.

Thousands of supporters of the ruling Liberal Party demonstrated in the capital, Tegucigalpa, against what they saw as vote fraud.

Outgoing President Xiomara Castro claimed an “electoral coup” was taking place and said earlier this month that the election was compromised by Trump’s “interference.”

When Trump endorsed Asfra for president, he said he would “pay a heavy price” if he was overturned in a narrow vote count.

He also threatened to withdraw U.S. financial support if Asfra did not win.

In a surprise move, the US president also pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, a member of Asfura’s National Party who was serving a 45-year sentence in the US on drug and weapons charges.

The constitution bars Xiomara Castro from re-election.

Nine days after the vote, Nasrallah accused “corrupt elements” of manipulating the Central American country’s vote count. He also said Trump’s comments hurt his chances of winning.

In a statement after the results were announced, Rubio said the United States would “look forward to working with the incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation,” adding that the two countries would “end illegal immigration to the United States” while strengthening economic ties.