Honduras Declares Trump-Backed Asfura President by 0.8% Margin Amid Fraud Claims

A winner has been declared in Honduras, but the political battle is far from over. After weeks of turmoil, conservative candidate Nasry Asfura has been named the winner of the presidential election, a result immediately rejected by his opponent in a contest heavily influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The country's electoral authority (CNE) announced on Wednesday that Asfura of the National Party won with 40.3% of the vote, according to Reuters. The declaration came more than three weeks after the Nov. 30 election. Center-right candidate Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party garnered 39.5%.

A Chaotic Count, A Contested Result

The result followed a chaotic period beset by delays, technical issues, and allegations of fraud. The process was so fraught that around 15% of the tally sheets, representing hundreds of thousands of votes, had to be manually recounted. During the delay, supporters of the ruling LIBRE party held protests against what they called an "electoral coup." The final results were reportedly approved by only two of the three electoral council members, with the third not present.

Nasralla rejected the declaration at a press conference, stating, "I will not accept a result based on omissions." Calling it "the saddest Christmas for the Honduran people," he urged his supporters to remain calm. The president of the Honduran Congress, a member of the ruling party, also dismissed the result on X, writing, "This is completely outside the law. It has no value."

Trump's Shadow and a Split U.S. Reaction

President Trump's heavy-handed intervention defined the election's international dimension. Before the vote, Trump called Asfura the "only real friend of Freedom in Honduras" and threatened to cut U.S. financial aid if he didn't win. He also pardoned a former Honduran president from Asfura's party who was serving a 45-year sentence in the U.S. on drug charges. Analysts see this as part of Trump's broader push to build a conservative bloc in Latin America, alongside leaders like Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and Javier Milei in Argentina.

Following the result, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Asfura and urged all parties to "ensure a peaceful transition." Meanwhile, the Organization of American States (OAS) took a more cautious tone, stating it "takes note" of the results but regretted that a full recount wasn't completed.

Who is President-elect Asfura?

The 67-year-old president-elect is a businessman and former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, where he earned the nickname "Papi, at your service" for his focus on infrastructure projects. He campaigned on a pro-business platform focused on jobs and security. He has also signaled a potential major foreign policy shift: dropping diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing. However, his image is clouded by an ongoing investigation into allegations of embezzlement and money laundering, which he denies as politically motivated. He is set to take office on January 27, 2026.