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Nasry Asfura, the conservative candidate explicitly endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, was officially declared the winner of the Honduran presidential election on Wednesday. The announcement by the National Electoral Council (CNE) comes more than three weeks after the November 30 vote, which was marred by severe technical failures, delays, and aggressive allegations of fraud.
According to the official tally, Asfura secured 40.3% of the vote, narrowly edging out center-right Liberal Party contender Salvador Nasralla, who finished with 39.5%. Rixi Moncada, the candidate for the ruling LIBRE party, placed a distant third. The margin was so razor-thin that officials were forced to manually count nearly 15% of the tally sheets.
"Honduras: I am ready to govern. I will not let you down," Asfura stated on social media. He is set to take office on January 27.
The result is a major victory for Trump, who actively intervened in the race. He called Asfura the "only real friend of Freedom" in Honduras and threatened to cut off U.S. financial aid if the former Tegucigalpa mayor did not win.
In a controversial move, Trump also pardoned former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, a National Party ally serving a 45-year U.S. sentence for drug trafficking. Critics, including Nasralla, slammed this involvement as direct election meddling.
Nasralla refused to concede, claiming valid ballots were excluded. "I will not accept a result based on omissions," he said, calling it the "saddest Christmas" for the nation.
Asfura, known by the nickname "Papi a la orden" ("Papi at your service"), ran on a pro-business platform emphasizing security and infrastructure. He has also signaled a major foreign policy shift, suggesting Honduras may return its allegiance to Taiwan, moving away from Beijing. However, he faces ongoing investigations regarding the alleged embezzlement of public funds during his mayoral term, charges he denies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio immediately congratulated the president-elect, hoping for a "peaceful transition." Conversely, the Organization of American States "took
note" of the victory but expressed regret that a full recount of all votes was not finished before the declaration
