Trump-Backed Honduran Candidate Edges Ahead as Slow Vote Count Enters Fourth Day

A right-wing Honduran presidential candidate backed by former U.S. president Donald Trump regained a razor-thin lead on Thursday, as the country’s sluggish vote count stretched into a fourth day.

With more than 86 percent of ballots tallied, businessman Nasry Asfura held 40.24 percent, narrowly ahead of fellow right-winger and television personality Salvador Nasralla, who had 39.41 percent, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE). The race remains too close to call.

The CNE has faced criticism from Trump after announcing earlier in the week that a partial tally showed the candidates in a “technical tie.” CNE president Ana Paola Hall said Thursday the agency was processing records that could not be transmitted on election day.

“All of this will complete the final count to 100 percent,” Hall said, urging both campaigns to remain patient. “Haste is sometimes the enemy of legitimacy.”

She insisted the final result would “scrupulously respect the popular will.”

Trump—who frequently undermines elections whose results he disputes—accused Honduran authorities of “trying to change” the vote and warned there would be “hell to pay” if they did. Late Thursday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau echoed Trump’s tone, saying on X that “democracy is on trial” in Honduras and urging all sides to uphold the CNE’s independence. “The world’s eyes, including ours, are on Honduras,” he wrote.

Honduras, one of Latin America’s poorest and most violent countries, has seen thousands flee north to the United States in recent years, including minors escaping gang recruitment. The CNE said remote ballots—some delivered by donkey or boat—were still arriving, and a final result could take days. By law, the electoral body has up to one month to declare a winner. Honduras elects its president in a single round by simple plurality.

Trump’s Influence Looms Over the Race

Trump has strongly backed the 67-year-old Asfura, calling him a “friend of freedom,” while dismissing 72-year-old Nasralla as “pretending to be an anti-communist.” In recent months, Trump has taken an increasingly active role in regional politics, threatening to cut aid to countries where his preferred candidates lose.

His regional ally, Argentine President Javier Milei, recently secured a midterm victory—another political win for the pro-Trump right in Latin America.

Regardless of the final Honduran result, Sunday’s vote marked a clear setback for the ruling left, signaling a broader rightward shift that could strengthen U.S. influence. The outgoing government had increasingly cultivated ties with China.

Trump has also drawn scrutiny for pardoning Juan Orlando Hernández, a former Honduran president from Asfura’s National Party who was serving a 45-year sentence in the United States on drug trafficking charges. Hernández was released Monday, widely seen as yet another episode of political interference.