Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative candidate in Honduras endorsed by President Trump, was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election on Wednesday after a weeks-long vote count.
Asfura, the 67-year-old former mayor of the Central American country’s capital city of Tegucigalpa, edged out Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla in a 40.27% to 39.53% vote, according to electoral authorities.
Rixi Moncada of the left-wing incumbent LIBRE Party finished with only 19.19% of the vote.
“Honduras: I am prepared to govern,” Asfura wrote on X. “I will not fail you.”
Trump publicly backed Asfura last month ahead of the Nov. 30 election, warning that if he didn’t win, “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results.”
“Tito will be a Great President, and the United States will work closely with him in order to ensure the success, with all of its potential, of Honduras!” the president wrote in Nov. 28 Truth Social post, adding, “VOTE FOR TITO ASFURA FOR PRESIDENT” and “MAKE HONDURAS GREAT AGAIN!”
On behalf of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Asfura on his “clear electoral victory” and called on “all parties to respect the confirmed results.”
“We look forward to working with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries,” Rubio said in a statement.
“The United States urges all parties to respect the confirmed results so that Honduran authorities may swiftly ensure a peaceful transition of authority to President-Elect Nasry Asfura,” the top US diplomat added.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), the chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Relations, indicated that she plans to “work alongside President-elect Asfura to strengthen relations between the United States and Honduras, promote democratic cooperation, and advance an agenda of freedom, development, and security for our peoples.”
She said his win “opens a new stage for the country, with the opportunity to strengthen democracy, promote stability, and work toward a future of prosperity and security for all Hondurans,” the congresswoman wrote on X.
The current president of Honduras, LIBRE’s Xiomara Castro, has maintained a cordial relationship with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while also working with the Trump administration on security and immigration issues.
Castro, 66, was barred from seeking a second consecutive presidential term under the Honduran constitution.
