On Sunday, the highly anticipated presidential election in Honduras took place, with the main candidates locked in a tight race. As of now, it remains uncertain who will ultimately ascend to the presidency throne.
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with six out of every ten citizens living in poverty. The presidential election in this Central American country operates on a single-round voting system, where the candidate who wins a simple majority of votes can claim the governing power for the period from 2026 to 2030.
Polling stations were set to close at 5 pm local time on Sunday. The Election Commission plans to announce preliminary results by 9 pm on Sunday, with the formal release of final results possibly taking up to 30 days.
Over 4,000 Honduran and foreign election observers have been deployed to nearly 6,000 polling stations across the country on election day.
Pre-election polls indicated a fierce competition among three out of five candidates. The leading contenders were Salvador Nasralla from the Liberal Party and former Mayor Nasry Asfura from the National Party, with Rixi Moncada from the ruling party trailing in third place.
The election is being held in a highly polarized political environment, with the three major candidates accusing each other of plotting electoral fraud.
Moncada has hinted that she may not recognize the official election results.
In such a tense atmosphere, 6.5 million Honduran voters had to choose on Sunday between continuing to support the left-wing socio-economic agenda of the current ruling party or shifting towards the agendas of the Liberal Party or the National Party.
Aside from electing a president, voters will also choose all 128 members of the parliament and thousands of local officials on Sunday.
At a polling station in the capital, the major political parties had set up tables, banners, flags, and played music outside. Dozens of people formed long lines at the school gate nearby to cast their votes.
Incumbent party presidential candidate Moncada advocates for achieving “economic democratization”, while Nasralla tries to portray himself as the one capable of eliminating the deep-rooted corruption issues in the country, and Asfura aims to revive the National Party as a pro-business force.
During his campaign, Asfura stated, “We will strive to build Honduras into a country full of hope and opportunities. A Honduras that is being seen in a different light by the world, because we are different, and we do not accept the ideology of failure. We will face challenges head-on and fight for democracy.”
“I will not let you down, Honduras, I will not let you down. I hope you join me in action,” he said.
Nasralla mentioned during his campaign that if elected, he would not recognize the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
“We do not have any dealings with any criminal organizations related to the Maduro regime, neither now nor in the future. We adhere to the principles of integrity, transparency, and the rule of law. In our government, the fourth point is that Honduras will cut ties with the Nicolas Maduro regime. Only when the international democratic society recognises a free and fair electoral government in Venezuela, will we restore relations with Venezuela,” he emphasized.
Representing the ruling party, presidential candidate Moncada declared, “I tell you, Honduras will welcome a new female president.”
The outcome of this election is closely watched by China, Taiwan, and the United States.
In 2023, the current President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, announced establishing diplomatic relations with China and severing ties with Taiwan. Moncada of the ruling party advocates for continuing diplomatic relations with Beijing. On the other hand, Asfura and Nasralla both promised to seek improved relations with the United States, terminate ties with Beijing, and restore relations with Taiwan.
If Asfura or Nasralla win and fulfil the mentioned promises, Reuters reported that it would be the biggest diplomatic setback for China in the region since 1990 when the Nicaraguan government led by Violeta Chamorro restored diplomatic relations with Taiwan.