Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative candidate in the Honduran presidential elections who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, is narrowly ahead in the early counting after Sunday’s vote.
The National Electoral Council said Asfura of the National Party had 40.54 percent of votes in early counting. Salvador Nasralla, of the conservative Liberal Party had 38.99 percent, while Rixi Moncada of the democratic socialist LIBRE or Liberty and Re-foundation party trailed with 19.49 percent.
Why It Matters
Trump has weighed in on the Honduras election, stating his support for Asfura in social media posts that suggested he could be a good Washington ally to counter drug trafficking and that continued U.S. support would depend on his winning.
The ballot also comes as the U.S. has built up its military presence near Latin America as part of Trump’s pledge to combating drug trafficking, particularly from Venezuela, whose airspace he said should be closed, even though he does not have the power to do that.
What To Know
Early polling results show Nasry Asfura, leader of the right-wing National Party, leading the Honduras election, ahead of former TV host and vice president Salvador Nasralla. In third place is the ruling leftwing Libre party candidate, Rixi Moncada.
There are five presidential candidates, but the poll is seen as a three-way race and with many votes still to be counted as of Monday, the result is still up for grabs.
As well as the presidency, voters are deciding on all 128 members of the National Congress, 298 mayors and over 2,000 municipal councilors.
Who Is Nasry Asfura?
The son of Palestinian immigrants, Asfura served as mayor of the capital Tegucigalpa from 2014 to 2022 and was a National Congress deputy.
In 2020, he was indicted by the Honduran authorities on charges of embezzling public funds and money laundering although all the charges against him were dismissed.
In 2021, he was nominated as the candidate for the incumbent National Party but he was defeated by his left-wing opponent, Xiomara Castro, the leader of LIBRE. Chosen again as the National Party candidate in 2025, he has been endorsed by President Trump.
What Has Trump Said About Nasy Asfura?
In a post on his Truth Social platform ahead of the weekend’s elections, Trump said the U.S. “will be very supportive” of Honduras if Asfura wins the election because it has “so much confidence in him”.
“If he doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is,” Trump said in the post on Friday. “Tito will be a Great President, and the United States will work closely with him in order to ensure the success, with all of its potential, of Honduras!” He added, echoing his own political campaign message: “MAKE HONDURAS GREAT AGAIN!”
The US. sent more than $193m to Honduras during the last fiscal year, according to the State Department website. So far in 2025, it has provided over $102m, although the Trump Administration has already cut $167m in economic and governance aid that had been earmarked for 2024 and 2025, the Congress website says.
In another post, Trump said he and Asfura could “work together to fight the Narcocommunists” and counter drug trafficking.
However, Trump was accused of undermining his professed war on drug traffickers after he announced he would pardon the former Honduras president, Juan Orlando Hernández, serving a 45‑year sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.
Asfura has distanced himself from Hernández saying on Friday before the ballot that he had no ties with the ex-president, and that his party was not responsible for his personal actions.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, on Nasry Asfura: “If he doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad.”
Salvador Nasralla, presidential candidate, on Sunday: “We are really going to know the result tomorrow in the course of the day.”
The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X it was “closely following the news of the great turnout of voters today in Honduras” , urging Hondurans to allow election observers to do their job “so all concerned can have confidence that the results of the election reflect the will of the Honduran people and not the manipulations of those who would try to thwart it.”
What Happens Next
The preliminary results have been released by the National Electoral Council (CNE) on election night.
Nasralla, from the Liberal Party, said that the result was too close to call and that the result would not be known until Monday, although this could take longer to be certified, depending on disputes and recounts.
However, the Associated Press reported that it is not clear if the candidates would accept the results, with them trading accusations of election fixing.
Update 12/01/25, 05:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
