Political Turmoil: Asfura Wins Amidst Controversy

Nasry Asfura of the National Party, backed by Donald Trump, wins Honduras' presidential election with 40.3% of the vote amid delays and fraud allegations. Tight results led to some votes being counted manually. Trump's influence and allegations of meddling stirred controversy, impacting other candidates.

Nasry Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, has been declared the winner of Honduras' presidential election, as announced by the electoral body on Wednesday. Asfura secured 40.3% of the vote, narrowly defeating Salvador Nasralla of the center-right Liberal Party, who received 39.5%.

The election process was fraught with delays and allegations of fraud, which led to approximately 15% of the votes being manually recounted. The CNE, Honduras' electoral authority, confirmed Asfura's victory despite ongoing disputes over the tight results. One member of the electoral council was notably absent during the declaration.

The election's legality was contested by Honduran Congress president Luis Redondo, who described the declaration as an 'electoral coup.' Trump's vocal support for Asfura, alongside his threats to withdraw U.S. financial aid, stirred controversy. This alignment with conservative leaders across Latin America drew criticism, with opponents accusing Trump of election meddling.

(With inputs from agencies.)