Honduras remains engulfed in a deepening electoral crisis nine days after its presidential vote, with no official winner declared amid allegations of manipulation and foreign interference. The National Electoral Council (CNE) continues to grapple with technical issues and thousands of disputed voting records, creating unprecedented delays in the counting process.
The latest figures from the CNE, with 98.77% of votes tallied, show conservative candidate Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura maintaining a slender advantage with 40.53% support. Centrist challenger Salvador Nasralla trails closely with 39.16%, while left-wing candidate Rixi Moncada remains distant with 19.32%. The electoral process has been marred by multiple extended pauses in counting, with officials attributing delays to technical complications.
Salvador Nasralla, who initially led before slipping to second place, has publicly denounced what he terms ‘theft’ by ‘corrupt elements’ manipulating the tally. Meanwhile, Rixi Moncada’s Libre party has demanded complete annulment of the elections, citing ‘interference and coercion’ from former US President Donald Trump.
The pre-election period was significantly influenced by Trump’s endorsement of Asfura, including his controversial pledge of conditional support and last-minute pardon of imprisoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández. Hernández, who was serving a 45-year narcotics sentence in the US, now faces an international arrest warrant from Honduran authorities.
Trump further escalated tensions by accusing the CNE of attempting to manipulate outcomes when Nasralla briefly led, warning of consequences without providing evidence of fraud. Under Honduran law, the electoral authority has until December 30 to declare a final result.