The result of Honduras's presidential election is dangerously uncertain. The country is waiting for a final vote count that has been slow and troubled. At the same time, a dramatic intervention from the United States has added more tension to the process.
The election was held last Sunday. The main candidates were Salvador Nasralla, Nasry "Tito" Asfura, and Rixi Moncada. Honduras uses a simple system where the person with the most votes wins. Early results showed an extremely close race. With most votes counted, Nasralla had a very small lead of under 14,000 votes over Asfura. This tiny difference made the counting process a national drama.
However, the counting has been unstable. The National Electoral Council (CNE) has stopped the process several times. They say this is because of technical problems and necessary maintenance. The long delays have made people anxious and led to accusations of possible wrongdoing. One official called a recent halt "inexcusable," showing the frustration inside the organization. After four days, there is still no official winner.
Into this tense situation came a powerful voice from outside. Former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly supported candidate Nasry Asfura. He suggested that future American help for Honduras depends on Asfura winning. He also claimed, without evidence, that officials were trying to change the result. More importantly, Trump used his power to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández. Hernández is the former Honduran president who was serving a long prison sentence in the U.S. for drug trafficking. He was released on Tuesday.
These two actions together are an unusual intervention. Pardoning a convicted former leader while supporting a specific candidate is seen as a strong attempt to influence Honduras's politics. It raises serious questions about the country's independence and normal diplomatic rules. The immediate effect is to damage trust in an election process already struggling with technical failures.
The next steps are unclear. The CNE must finish the count while facing pressure from inside and outside the country. The winner will lead a nation with major economic problems, and now with a more complicated relationship with the United States. This election shows that Honduras's democratic future is being decided not just by its voters, but also by powerful forces beyond its borders.