Nasry Asfura, presidential candidate for the National Party, gestures during general elections in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)2025-12-24T21:23:39Z TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras presidential election, electoral authorities said Wednesday afternoon, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nations fragile electoral system.The election is continuing Latin Americas swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician Jos Antonio Kast as its next president.Asfura, of the conservative National Party, received 40.27% of the vote in the Nov. 30 vote, edging out four-time candidate Salvador Nasralla of the conservative Liberal Party, who finished with 39.53% of the vote. Honduras president-electThe former mayor of Honduras capital Tegucigalpa, won in his second bid for the presidency, after he and Nasralla were neck-and-neck during a weeks-long vote count that fueled international concern.On Tuesday night a number of electoral officials and candidates were already fighting and contesting the results of the election. Meanwhile, followers in Asfuras campaign headquarters erupted into cheers. Supporters of the National Party celebrate as the National Electoral Council decelerate presidential candidate Nasry Asfura the winner of Honduras presidential election in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Destephen) Supporters of the National Party celebrate as the National Electoral Council decelerate presidential candidate Nasry Asfura the winner of Honduras presidential election in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Destephen) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Asfura, in a video statement released late Wednesday night, promised to be a unifying force for the Central American nation.Today, with deep gratitude, I accept the honor of being able to work for you. I extend my hand so we can walk together with determination to work tirelessly for Honduras. I will not fail you, he said.The results were a rebuke of the current leftist leader, and her governing democratic socialist Liberty and Re-foundation Party, known as LIBRE, whose candidate finished in a distant third place with 19.19% of the vote. Trump takes a spotlight in HondurasSecretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Asfura on Wednesday, writing on a post on X: The people of Honduras have spoken ... (the Trump administration) looks forward to working with his administration to advance prosperity and security in our hemisphere.The European Union and a number of right-leading leaders across Latin America, namely Trump-ally Argentine President Javier Milei, also congratulated the politician. Asfura ran as a pragmatic politician, pointing to his popular infrastructure projects in the capital. Trump endorsed the 67-year-old conservative just days before the vote, saying he was the only Honduran candidate the U.S. administration would work with. National Party presidential candidate Nasry Asfura speaks to supporters during a closing campaign rally, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Nov. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Elmer Martinez, File) National Party presidential candidate Nasry Asfura speaks to supporters during a closing campaign rally, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Nov. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Elmer Martinez, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Nasralla has for weeks alleged the election was fraudulent, and said Wednesday that electoral authorities who announced the results betrayed the Honduran people.On Tuesday night, he also addressed Trump in a post on X, writing: Mr. President, your endorsed candidate in Honduras is complicit in silencing the votes of our citizens. If he is truly worthy of your backing, if his hands are clean, if he has nothing to fear, then why doesnt he allow for every vote to be counted?He and other opponents of Asfura have maintained that Trumps last-minute endorsement was an act of electoral interference that ultimately swung the results of the vote.A chaotic electionThe unexpectedly tumultuous election was also marred by a sluggish vote count, which fueled even more accusations.The Central American nation was stuck in limbo for more than three weeks as vote counting by electoral authorities lagged, and at one point was paralyzed after a special count of final vote tallies was called, fueling warnings by international leaders. After expressing democratic concern about the lack of results days before, Organization of American States Secretary General Albert Rambin wrote Wednesday on X that the OAS takes note of the results announced and noted it is closely following events in Honduras. Supporters of the National Party celebrate after the National Electoral Council declared presidential candidate Nasry Asfura the winner of Honduras presidential election in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Destephen) Supporters of the National Party celebrate after the National Electoral Council declared presidential candidate Nasry Asfura the winner of Honduras presidential election in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Destephen) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More It also condemned electoral authorities for announcing the results while the final .07% of votes were still being counted.A rightward shift in Latin AmericaFor the incumbent, progressive President Xiomara Castro, the election marked a political reckoning. She was elected in 2021 on a promise to reduce violence and root out corruption.She was among a group of progressive leaders in Latin American who were elected on a hopeful message of change around five years ago but are now being cast out after failing to deliver on their visions. Castro said last week that she would accept the results of the elections even after she claimed that Trumps actions in the election amounted to an electoral coup.But Eric Olson, an independent international observer during the Honduran election with the Seattle International Foundation, said the rejection of Castro and her party was so definitive that they had little room to contest the results.Very few people, even within LIBRE, believe they won the election. What they will say is theres been fraud, that there has been intervention by Donald Trump, that we we should tear up the elections and vote again, Olson said. But theyre not saying we won the elections. Its pretty clear they did not. ___ Janetsky reported from Mexico City. MEGAN JANETSKY Megan Janetsky covers migration, conflict, human rights and politics in Mexico and Central America for The AP based in Mexico City. Previously, she covered Cuba and the Caribbean for The AP and worked as freelance journalist in Colombia, reporting across South America. twitter instagram facebook mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site