Former US President-Endorsed Contender Asfura Declared Incoming Head of State of Honduras

Former President Trump-endorsed candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura has been declared the victor of Honduras’s presidential election following a ballot tally that dragged on for almost a month and was overshadowed by fraud allegations and accusations of meddling from the US president.

The conservative Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, secured 40.27% of the vote, against 39.53% for the moderate right Salvador Nasralla, a difference of just 28,000 votes.

The election authority declared a victor before completing the review of all vote records under a “extraordinary review” launched last week to recount votes flagged as “irregular”. The decision was criticised by unsuccessful contenders and deplored by the Organization of American States, which deployed an monitoring team to the election held on 30 November.

Asfura has already declared himself president-elect. “Honduras, we now have the official declaration from the CNE [electoral council]. I acknowledge the great work undertaken by the members and the whole staff that administered the election. My fellow citizens: I am ready to govern. I will not fail you. God bless Honduras,” he wrote.

Nasralla refused to concede and posted a number of messages alleging fraud in the tallying procedure, including “tampering with official records”, claiming that “the figures from the original tally sheets were altered”.

The electoral council is made up of three members: one aligned with Asfura’s party, one with Nasralla’s, and one with the party of the progressive president, Xiomara Castro, whose candidate finished third. Asfura’s victory was declared only by the initial pair of councillors.

The representative linked to the president’s party rejected the result, claimed that an “electoral coup” was taking place and lodged a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office, opening the possibility that the result will be contested in the judiciary.

In its announcement, the council declared: “By the sovereign choice of the people of Honduras, expressed sovereignly at the polls, the plenary session of the CNE proclaims Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah legitimate president of the Republic of Honduras for the presidential term starting 27 January 2026 and concluding on 27 January 2030.”

The declaration before the end of the review was the most recent in a string of disputes that marked the Central American country’s presidential race, starting with what many saw as blatant meddling by the American head of state.

Shortly prior to the vote, Trump publicly backed Asfura, stated the US would back the next government only if he won, and attacked the other main contenders, calling them communists or associates of Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

On the night of the election, the American leader also announced a pardon for the ex-leader of Honduras and Asfura supporter Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been sentenced 45 years in prison for reportedly establishing “a major drug trafficking route to the United States”.

The American top diplomat, Marco Rubio, offered congratulations to Asfura on social media. “The citizens of Honduras have made their choice: Nasry Asfura is Honduras’ next president,” stated Rubio. “The United States extends its congratulations to president-elect Asfura and looks forward to working with his government to promote prosperity and security in our hemisphere.”