On Saturday, December 6th, the presidential election in Honduras entered its seventh day, with the race still tight. Nasry Asfura, the candidate from the conservative National Party supported by US President Trump, is currently slightly ahead. According to data from the electoral office in Honduras, with 88% of the votes counted, Asfura leads with a temporary vote share of 40.19%, ahead of the Liberal Party’s candidate Salvador Nasralla by about 20,000 votes.
Nasralla, who identifies as center-right and is a well-known television host, has a vote share of 39.49%. Rixi Moncada, the candidate from the ruling LIBRE Party, is in third place with a vote share of 19.30%.
The presidential election in Honduras operates on a single-round voting system, where the candidate with the most votes is elected, even if the margin is very small or if they do not reach a majority. Despite the calm in the capital city of Tegucigalpa on Saturday, electoral workers across the country continue manual vote counting.
However, officials have stated that approximately 14% of the votes are considered abnormal and require further review. The ruling party has called for a recount of all polling stations nationwide on Saturday.
This election has drawn high attention from Washington. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stated on social media on December 4th, “The eyes of the world are on Honduras, including ours.”
President Trump publicly endorsed Asfura on November 30th, and just before the voting days, he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández from the National Party, who was serving a 45-year sentence in the US for drug trafficking and weapons charges.
Hernández, released on December 2nd, thanked Trump for the pardon in his first video message and appreciated his concern for Honduras.
Some experts suggest that Trump’s support for Asfura aims to establish a conservative political alliance in Latin America, which also includes Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Argentinian President Javier Milei.
According to Reuters, the 67-year-old Asfura, a former mayor of the capital city, has faced multiple corruption allegations. Nasralla, his main opponent, has run for president three times before and stated that Trump’s endorsement of Asfura has changed the election dynamics.
Moncada, aged 60, is a teacher and lawyer.
(Reference: Reuters)