Polls open under shadow of Trump aid threat

Hondurans are voting in an election threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The bill has five presidential candidates, but the poll is seen as essentially a three-way contest between former defense minister Risi Moncada of the left-wing Liberal Party, centrist Liberal TV host Salvador Nasrallah and businessman Nasri “Tito” Asfra of the right-wing National Party.

Trump has expressed support for Asfula and threatened to cut financial aid to the Central American country if he does not win.

Recent polls show Nasrallah in the lead, but with 34% of voters saying they are undecided, it could be anyone’s race.

Outgoing President Xiomara Castro, who took office in 2021 on behalf of the Liberal Party and is the country’s first female president, is not allowed to run for re-election under Honduran law.

She supported Moncada to take her place. The 60-year-old lawyer promised that if she wins, she will protect “natural wealth” from “21st century obstructionists who want to privatize everything”. Moncada also said he was committed to fighting corruption “in all its forms.”

On Saturday, Moncada accused Trump of interfering in the election, calling his support for her right-wing opponent “completely interventionist.”

Trump has said the United States would be “very supportive” of Tito Asfra if he wins the presidency.

Trump wrote on the social media platform “Truth Social”: “If he does not win, America will not waste money because a wrong leader can only bring disastrous results to a country, no matter which country it is.”

The US sent more than $193m (£146m) to Honduras last financial year, according to statistics State Council websiteDespite aid cuts, aid this year still exceeds $102 million. The Trump administration has reportedly cut $167 million in economic and governance aid for 2024 and 2025, Congress website says.

In a separate post, Trump wrote that he and Asfulla, the former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, could “work together to take down the narcocommunists” and crack down on drug trafficking.

In a series of social media posts, Nasri Asfra pledged to “bring development and opportunities to everyone,” “facilitate domestic and foreign investment into the country” and “create jobs for all.”

However, his party has been dogged by scandals and corruption allegations in recent years – including Former party leader and former president Juan Orlando Hernandez sentenced last year.

Hernandez was sentenced to 45 years in prison in the United States on drug and weapons trafficking charges A decision Trump now plans to reverse.

Asfra carefully tried to distance himself from Hernandez. He told AFP on Friday that he had “no relationship” with the former president and that “the party is not responsible for his personal actions”.

However, the leading candidate is 72-year-old Salvador Nasralla, who is running for president for a fourth time.

He claimed that his 2017 victory was stolen due to “electoral fraud perpetrated by Hernandez.” While the decision did spark massive protests across the country, this was never confirmed, and a partial recount found no irregularities.

According to his campaign website, Nasrallah said his government’s main focus will be “opening the economy” and that he is committed to creating jobs. He also said he would sever ties with China and Venezuela if he won.

Tensions have escalated recently between Venezuela and the United States, which has stepped up its military presence in the region and carried out at least 21 deadly attacks on ships it said were carrying drugs. Saturday, Trump declares Venezuelan airspace should be considered closedeven though he has no power to do so.

Voting for single-round elections begins at 07:00 CST (13:00 GMT) and will end 10 hours after voting.

Preemptive accusations of electoral fraud by the ruling and opposition parties have stoked distrust in the vote and raised fears of post-election unrest.

This prompted the head of the National Electoral Commission, Anna Paula Hall, to warn all parties “not to incite confrontation or violence”.