MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump's candidate leads vote count in Honduran presidential elections

The former mayor of Tegucigalpa was slightly ahead, but the winner is yet to be announced

Conservative Candidate Nasry Asfura, who has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump, leads Honduras' presidential race with 43% of the vote counted early Monday. Asfura of the National Party was closely trailed by former TV host Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.

According to National Electoral Council (CNE) data, Asfura drew 40.54% of the vote, followed by Nasralla's 38.99%, both way ahead of Rixi Moncada of the ruling leftwing Libre Party's 19.49%

Both Asfura, a 67-year-old construction businessman and former Tegucigalpa mayor, and Nasralla, a 72-year-old sportscaster running on an anti-corruption platform, refrained from claiming victory, noting that the count was still early.

Meanwhile, Moncada urged her supporters to remain vigilant until the final results for all presidential, mayoral, and congressional seats were tallied. The CNE has a maximum of 30 days to issue the official declaration of the election results.

Trump had sent supporting messages to Asfura, the flagbearer for the party of former President Juan Orlando Hernández (extradited and sentenced in the US for drug and arms trafficking). The Republican leader argued that Asfura was the “only true friend of freedom in Honduras” and the only candidate his administration would work with against the “narco-communists” together. He had also warned that both Moncada and Nasralla could lead Honduras down the path of Venezuela.

Last week, Trump announced he would pardon Hernández, who -he claimed- was “treated very harshly and unfairly.” In Trump's view, the case was politically motivated by the Joseph Biden administration.

Over six million Hondurans were eligible to vote for President, three Vice Presidents, 128 congressional deputies, and 298 mayors. The election was monitored by over 4,000 national and international observers, including representatives from the European Union (EU), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the US Congress.

The winner will take over the presidency from Xiomara Castro on January 27, 2026.