Asfura Leads by Narrow Margin as Vote Review Begins in Honduras

Honduras’ conservative presidential candidate, Nasry Asfura, held a lead of just over 40,000 votes on Tuesday over centrist rival Salvador Nasralla, as the preliminary count from the November election neared completion and all major parties alleged fraud or irregularities.

With 99.40% of tally sheets processed, official results showed Asfura with 40.52% of the vote and Nasralla with 39.20%. LIBRE Party candidate Rixi Moncada, a former leftist minister, trailed with 19.29%. About 14.5% of tally sheets showed inconsistencies and are scheduled for a special review involving party representatives, electoral authorities, and independent observers. These disputed sheets could include enough votes to shift the current results and prolong uncertainty.

The outcome will remain provisional until the review is completed. The National Electoral Council has until December 30 to officially declare a winner, who will take office in January for the 2026–2030 term.

Both leading candidates have already claimed victory based on their own tallies. Nasralla has pointed to irregularities in the counting process, while the LIBRE Party has called for protests and demanded annulment of the election, accusing political opponents of orchestrating an “electoral coup.”

Despite these tensions, streets in major cities remained calm, though many recall the violent unrest following the 2017 election. Observers said the November 30 vote itself proceeded peacefully, but the release of results has been chaotic, with technical delays adding to public frustration.

U.S. officials said they are monitoring the process closely. Throughout the campaign, competing parties traded accusations of fraud while offering limited concrete proposals to address persistent national issues such as drug trafficking, corruption, and widespread poverty.