Nasry Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, secured victory in Honduras’ presidential election, defeating rival Salvador Nasralla by less than 1 percentage point after a contentious weeks-long vote count, according to the country’s electoral authorities.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Nasry Asfura, the Trump-backed conservative candidate, was declared the winner of Honduras’ presidential election on Wednesday, ending a protracted vote count that fueled international scrutiny. The National Electoral Council confirmed Asfura, the former mayor of Tegucigalpa, received 40.27% of the vote in the Nov. 30 election, narrowly edging out Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, who garnered 39.39%.

The result marks a shift to the right in Latin America, following Chile’s election of conservative José Antonio Kast just a week prior. It also delivers a stinging rebuke to incumbent leftist President Xiomara Castro and her Liberty and Re-foundation (LIBRE) Party, whose candidate finished a distant third with 19.19%.

Asfura, a 67-year-old pragmatic conservative, campaigned on his record of infrastructure projects in the capital. President Trump endorsed him days before the vote, declaring Asfura the only candidate the U.S. would work with. In a statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Asfura, emphasizing plans to strengthen bilateral security, curb illegal immigration, and boost economic ties:

“The United States congratulates President-Elect Nasry Asfura on his clear electoral victory… We look forward to working with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries.”

Rubio urged all parties to respect the results for a peaceful transition.

Fraud Allegations and Trump’s Role

Nasralla, a four-time presidential candidate, rejected the results, calling the election “fraudulent” and demanding a full recount hours before the official announcement. In a post on X, he directly challenged Trump:

“Mr. President, your endorsed candidate in Honduras is complicit in silencing the votes of our citizens. If he is truly worthy of your backing, if his hands are clean, if he has nothing to fear, then why doesn’t he allow for every vote to be counted?”

Nasralla and opponents accused Trump’s last-minute endorsement of electoral interference, alleging it swung the vote in Asfura’s favor.

Castro’s Downfall and Latin America’s Rightward Shift

For Xiomara Castro, the election was a political reckoning. Elected in 2021 on promises to reduce violence and corruption, she joined a wave of progressive Latin American leaders whose failures to deliver have led to voter backlash. Eric Olson, an election observer with the Seattle International Foundation, noted that LIBRE’s defeat was decisive:

“Very few people, even within LIBRE, believe they won the election… What they will say is there’s been fraud, that there has been intervention by Donald Trump, that we should tear up the elections and vote again. But they’re not saying, ‘We won the elections.’ It’s pretty clear they did not.”

A Contentious Transition

Despite Castro’s earlier claims of a “Trump-orchestrated electoral coup,” she pledged to accept the results. Yet tensions remain as Asfura prepares to take office amid allegations of irregularities and calls for transparency.

The election underscores Latin America’s rightward pivot and Trump’s growing influence in the region, as conservative leaders align with his hardline policies on immigration, security, and economic cooperation. Asfura’s victory—narrow but symbolic—sets the stage for a new era in U.S.-Honduras relations, though the shadow of fraud claims lingers.