With a little over two-thirds of the ballots in the Honduran election tallied, the lead has changed hands. Former vice-president Salvador Nasralla has a small but potentially significant lead over his rival, the conservative former mayor of Tegucigalpa, Nasry Asfura. Yet Asfura's National Party continues to brief journalists that they have the numbers for an eventual win.
The race remains on a knife-edge.
In Washington, President Donald Trump has staked his hopes on nothing less than an outright Asfura victory, attempting to directly influence the race in support of his favored candidate. From hinting at fund withholding to making unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud, many in Honduras feel Trump's fingerprints are prevalent in this election.
Political analyst Josué Murillo criticizes this intervention, saying, No government should come here and treat us as a banana republic. That is a lack of respect. Donald Trump saying who we should elect violates our autonomy as a nation, and it affects our elections as well.
One figure who appears to be anticipating a change in fortune is former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who recently walked free from jail in Virginia after serving only one year of a 45-year sentence for drug smuggling and weapons charges. Hernández's release coincides with Trumps' attempts to influence the current elections.
Hernández was unexpectedly pardoned by Trump despite widespread calls for accountability over his administration's alleged human rights violations. His wife, Ana García Carías, publicly acknowledged key supporters in securing his pardon.
As vote counting continues into another night, the stakes are high for both candidates and Trump, with potential implications for U.S.-Honduras relations in the future.
