Early trends show Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura leading Honduras race

Nasry Asfura, a conservative candidate supported by former US President Donald Trump, is currently leading the presidential race in Honduras as roughly 40 percent of votes have been counted. Early Monday updates indicate that Asfura, representing the National Party, has captured around 41 percent of ballots, slightly ahead of his main competitor from the Liberal Party, Salvador Nasralla, who holds approximately 39 percent. Rixi Moncada, a leftist contender from the ruling Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party, is in third place with 20 percent of the vote.

The election took place on Sunday, following Trumps outspoken involvement in Honduran politics, where he endorsed the 67-year-old former mayor of Tegucigalpa, emphasizing that Asfura would combat narco-communists. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that if Asfura fails to win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad. His remarks echoed his earlier support for President Javier Milei during Argentinas mid-term elections in October.

Prior to the vote, Trump also revealed plans to pardon former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had led the same party as Asfura. Hernandez, president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, is serving a 45-year prison sentence for drug and weapons-related offenses.

In the lead-up to the election, candidates accused one another of attempting to manipulate the results, prompting Ana Paola Hall, head of the National Electoral Council, to urge all parties to avoid inciting confrontation or violence.

Voter priorities in Honduras are primarily security and employment, amid ongoing issues with drug trafficking and joblessness. Although President Xiomara Castros tenure has seen some improvements in murder and unemployment rates, the country continues to have the highest homicide rate in Central America.

Author: Sophia Brooks