Trump alleges that his ally was a victim of fraud in the delayed Honduras election.

Donald Trump has claimed electoral fraud in Honduras after his right-wing supporter was caught in a technical tie. Nasry Tito Asfura, endorsed by the US president, remains virtually tied with centrist Salvador Nasralla following Sundays vote, according to the latest tallies. Trump has warned that US aid to Honduras could be withheld if Asfura does not win and recently pardoned former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who belongs to Asfuras National Party (PN).

Preliminary results indicated both Asfura and Nasralla secured around 40% of the vote, while Rixi Moncada from the Liberty and Refoundation Party obtained 19%. Ana Paola Hall, head of the national electoral council, stated that Asfura, 67, led 72-year-old Nasralla by only 515 votes, creating a technical tie after the partial vote count.

On Monday evening, Trump claimed the vote count had suddenly stopped and accused officials of manipulating the outcome. He wrote on his Truth Social platform that there will be consequences if the results were altered, emphasizing that the Honduran public had voted in large numbers on November 30th.

Trumps involvement in the Honduran election extends to pardoning Hernandez, who had been jailed in the US for drug trafficking. The former president had sent Trump a letter describing his treatment as politically motivated and addressing him as your excellency.

Earlier, Trump had threatened to block hundreds of millions in US aid if Asfura did not win, suggesting that continuing financial support would be wasteful. The election has been clouded by allegations of voter fraud, raising concerns that multiple candidates might claim victory. Asfuras lead has decreased significantly since the initial results.

The election is being interpreted as a referendum on the social and political divisions that have deepened under outgoing President Xiomara Castro, Hondurass only left-wing leader to complete a term. Corruption and violence are widespread, contributing to large-scale migration toward the US. Honduras has been under a state of exception since December 2022, granting the military and police expanded powers while suspending certain constitutional rights to combat gangs and drug traffickers.

Trump praised Asfura, a former mayor of Tegucigalpa, as the only true friend of freedom in Honduras, while questioning the trustworthiness of his rivals. He accused Moncada of communist ties linked to Venezuela and Cuba, and claimed Nasralla, a television host and Liberal Party member, could not be trusted. Trump stated that collaboration with Asfura could help combat narco-communists and deliver aid to Hondurans.

An Asfura victory would align with Trumps regional goals, giving him a strategic partner in Latin America to counter Chinese influence, fight drug cartels, and manage migration flows. Honduras, along with Guatemala and El Salvador, forms the Northern Triangle, a region notorious for drug, human, and arms trafficking.

Trumps active involvement in Honduras, a nation of around 10 million people, surprised many observers, especially given his administrations previous confrontations with migrant caravans. His focus on combating drug trafficking, including authorizing over 20 lethal strikes on drug transport vessels, makes his pardon of Hernandez particularly noteworthy.

Hernandez, 57, had been sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug and firearms offenses. His brother, Tony Hernandez, received a life sentence in the US for smuggling 185,000 kilograms of cocaine. Trump defended the pardon, claiming it was supported by many Hondurans and alleging that Hernandez had been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration.

Author: Sophia Brooks