A pro-Washington candidate backed by Donald Trump took an early lead in Sunday’s presidential election in Honduras.
With 40 per cent of ballots tallied in the preliminary count, Nasry Asfura, a conservative former Mayor of the national capital, led with 41 per cent. Salvador Nasralla, a former sportscaster and vice-president, had 39 per cent, while ruling party candidate Rixi Moncada trailed in third place with 20 per cent.
Under the nation’s electoral system, the president is elected in a single round of voting.
In a surprise intervention two days before the vote, Mr Trump advised Hondurans to support Mr Asfura, calling him “the man who is standing up for democracy”, and attacked Mr Nasralla as a “borderline communist”.
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Mr Nasralla said in a press conference Sunday night after the initial results were published that the numbers did not reflect votes from areas where his party is strong. “There is no official winner right now,” he said.
In a post on X before the first bulletin was published by the electoral authority, Ms Moncada told her supporters to remain on guard until all the ballots had been tallied and said she would speak in a press conference on Monday. During the campaign, she repeatedly accused her rivals of planning electoral fraud.
Mr Asfura and Mr Nasralla both say they want to improve the nation’s relations with the US and pledged to break off relations with the socialist regime in Venezuela.
The current president, Xiomara Castro, established relations with Beijing in 2023, depriving Taiwan of one of few countries with which it still had diplomatic ties. Mr Asfura and Mr Nasralla have both pledged to reverse this move, saying that the trade relationship with China is unfair and has cost jobs.
Mr Trump said he would refuse to work with either Mr Nasralla or Ms Moncada.
He also said that he would pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, a former Honduran president sentenced to 45 years in prison after being convicted of cocaine trafficking and weapons offences. Hernández belonged to Mr Asfura’s National Party of Honduras.
Mr Nasralla served as vice-president of the current leftist leader Xiomara Castro during her first year in office, before they split.
Hondurans are also voting for congress and mayors.
The vote is the latest test of whether the region is aligning itself with Mr Trump as he pressures trade partners to distance themselves from Beijing.
Chileans this month sent conservative José Antonio Kast to a presidential run-off while, in October, pro-business senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidential runoff. – Bloomberg
