Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday denounced what she described as tampering and manipulation in the country’s November 30 presidential election, further intensifying political turmoil as the final vote count remains incomplete amid successive computer system failures.
Speaking at a rally in central Honduras, Castro said voters had participated with “courage and determination,” but claimed the electoral process was marred by “threats, coercion, manipulation of the TREP (preliminary results system), and tampering with the popular will.”
Trump Accused of Interfering in Honduran Election
Castro also accused former US president Donald Trump of directly interfering in the election, alleging he warned Hondurans of “consequences” if they supported the left-wing Libre party’s candidate, Rixi Moncada.
Trump openly endorsed conservative frontrunner Nasry Asfura, calling him a “friend of freedom,” while accusing rival Salvador Nasralla of “pretending to be an anti-communist.” In an unusual move days before the vote, Trump also issued a surprise pardon for former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been serving a 45-year prison term in the US on major drug trafficking charges.
Tight Race Between Asfura and Nasralla
According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), as of Monday:
- Nasry Asfura: 40.53%
- Salvador Nasralla: 39.16%
Both remain well ahead of Moncada. However, Nasralla has rejected the official tallies outright, calling the results a “theft” and insisting he was leading by 20 percentage points before alleged irregularities began. He is demanding a vote-by-vote recount, claiming that tallies without biometric verification show a pattern of fraud.
The CNE says thousands of voting records with “inconsistencies” still need to be reviewed. Under Honduran law, the council has until December 30 to declare a winner.
Libre Party Demands Annulment Of Election
As distrust grows, Castro’s Libre party is calling for:
- Total annulment of the elections
- Protests and strikes nationwide
- Government workers to refuse cooperation with the transition process
The Trump administration has responded by saying the elections were fair, insisting there is “no credible evidence” to justify annulling the results.
Arrest Warrant Drama: Interpol Request for Ex-President Hernandez
In a separate twist, Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya on Tuesday requested that Interpol enforce an arrest warrant against ex-president Hernandez.
The warrant—issued in 2023 for alleged money laundering and fraud—was never executed because Hernandez was already in US custody. Hernandez’s lawyer, Renato Stabile, rejected the request as a “desperate and shameful attempt” by Honduras’ left to stay in power. Hernandez’s wife, Ana Garcia, said he would not return to Honduras because he fears for his life.