Tegucigalpa — Honduran election officials on Thursday began a special counting of the final votes for November's presidential election. After three weeks of uncertainty, swirling accusations and pressure from the Trump administration to finalize the results.
The special count includes 2,792 ballot boxes from the Nov. 30 election. It's unclear how long it will take.
Previously, election authorities had counted 99.80% of the ballots, but this election was characterized by close margins and numerous accusations of irregularities, prompting a special count.
Ana Paola Hall, president of the National Electoral Council, said the counting was taking place “in the presence of national and international observers.”
Disputes over the final tally paralyzed the process, fueling political uncertainty and demands that the U.S. compile the vote tally. On Wednesday night, the U.S. State Department warned Honduran election officials to finalize the results “immediately” and warned that any calls to disrupt the process “will have consequences.”
“The voices of 3.4 million Hondurans must be respected and supported,” the ministry said in X.
The country's two leading candidates are both conservatives, and the race is close because they clearly reject the country's left-wing ruling party, President Xiomara Castro, and the country's ruling LIBRE (Liberty and Re-establishment) party.
Nasri Asfullah of the conservative National Party came in first with 40.54% of the vote, followed by Salvador Nasrallah of the conservative Liberal Party with 39.3%.
Rixie Moncada, a candidate from the ruling Progressive Party LIBRE (Liberty and Re-Establishment Party), came in third place with 19.28% of the vote.
US President Donald Trump supported Mr. Asfulura in the run-up to the election, leading to mounting accusations that his opponent, Mr. Castro, interfered in the election.
For Mr. Castro, this election was a political reckoning. She was elected in 2021 on a promise to reduce violence and root out corruption in Honduras. Castro is the wife of former President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, who was ousted from power in a 2009 coup.
She was among a group of Latin American progressive leaders elected with a hopeful message of change, but are now ousted after failing to realize their vision.
“Libre ultimately took the presidency and took the driver's seat at the cost of not being able to deliver on his promises,” said Tiziano Breda, senior analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at Armed Conflict Location and Event Data.
In addition to supporting Mr. Asfura, President Trump also pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced by a US court last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation.
Libre has previously sought to invalidate the election results because of curveballs thrown at it by Trump during the campaign, and analysts have warned that the party may be delaying vote counting to squeeze out any remaining political influence. But he added that there was little the ruling party could do as the defeat was decisive.
Mr. Castro announced in a speech Thursday that he would respect the election results.
“Even in these difficult circumstances, I respect the law and the Constitution of the Republic and have maintained peace in our country…I respect the winners,” Castro said.
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Janetzky reported from Mexico City.