Honduras’ National Party candidate, Nasry “Papi” Asfura, has been declared the winner of the country’s November 30 presidential election, the electoral body confirmed Wednesday, ending weeks of delays, technical issues, and accusations of fraud, Reuters reports. Asfura won 40.3% of the vote, narrowly surpassing center-right Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla, who received 39.5%, while the ruling LIBRE party’s Rixi Moncada finished a distant third.
The vote count was highly contentious, with around 15% of ballots requiring manual tallying due to system failures and close results. Protests led by the LIBRE party disrupted the counting process, at times blocking officials from accessing stored ballots. Despite the chaos, two electoral council members validated the results, although the third member, Marlon Ochoa, was absent during the official declaration.
Asfura, 67, a former mayor of the capital Tegucigalpa and businessman of Palestinian descent, ran on a pro-business platform emphasizing investment, jobs, education, and security. He has also suggested that Honduras might shift diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. In response to the results, Asfura wrote on X, “Honduras: I am ready to govern. I will not let you down.” Meanwhile, LIBRE Congress President Luis Redondo denounced the declaration as an “electoral coup.”
The U.S. played a prominent role in the election. Former President Donald Trump backed Asfura publicly, describing him as the “only real friend of Freedom in Honduras,” and previously pardoned former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who faces U.S. convictions for drug trafficking and weapons charges. Trump warned that U.S. financial support could be at risk if Asfura did not win, and repeatedly alleged fraud without presenting evidence, asserting there would be “hell to pay” if preliminary results favoring Asfura were overturned.
Reuters notes that experts view Trump’s intervention as part of a broader strategy to cultivate a conservative bloc across Latin America, aligning leaders such as Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and Javier Milei in Argentina. Nasralla and the LIBRE party condemned U.S. interference, with Nasralla telling Reuters that Trump’s late-stage involvement undermined his electoral chances.
The U.S. has formally congratulated Asfura, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging acceptance of the results to ensure a peaceful transition. The Organization of American States’ Secretary General, Albert Ramdin, said the group “takes note” of the results and will issue a report on the electoral process in the coming days, while acknowledging procedural difficulties.
Born in Tegucigalpa in 1958, Asfura earned the nickname “Papi, at your service” for his hands-on approach to public works during his tenure as mayor. Despite projecting a modest image, he faces investigations into alleged embezzlement and money laundering linked to his administration, which he denies, claiming political motivation.
Asfura is scheduled to assume the presidency on January 27 for a four-year term, setting the stage for a conservative shift in Honduras’ political and economic trajectory, amidst heightened scrutiny from both domestic and international observers.
