Nasry Asfura wins closely contested Honduran presidential election

Conservative candidate Nasry Asfura won the Honduran presidential elections with 40.3% of the vote, narrowly defeating Salvador Nasralla. Backed by Donald Trump, Asfura was congratulated by US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Nasry Asfura, a conservative candidate, has won the presidential elections in Honduras, the country's election council said, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Close Contest Confirmed

According to the Consejo Nacional Electoral, the electoral authority in the North American country, Asfura won 40.3 per cent of the vote in the closely contested polls, defeating centre-right Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla, who received 39.5 per cent of the votes.

According to Al Jazeera, Asfura was backed by United States President Donald Trump.

In a social media post, Asfura said, "Honduras: I am prepared to govern. I will not fail you."

US Congratulates President-Elect

Donald Trump had supported Asfura, attacking Nasralla and left-wing candidate Rixi Moncada, who ended up winning 20 per cent of the votes.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Nasry Asfura, saying that Washington DC is looking forward to working with him. "The people of Honduras have spoken: Nasry Asfura is Honduras' next president. The United States congratulates President-Elect @titoasfura @papialaordenh and looks forward to working with his administration to advance prosperity and security in our hemisphere," Rubio said on X.

Rubio Urges Respect for Results

In a separate statement, Rubio urged "all parties to respect the confirmed results" of the elections. "The United States congratulates President-Elect Nasry Asfura of Honduras on his clear electoral victory, confirmed by Honduras' National Electoral Council. 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. 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," Rubio said.

Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau also posted on X, "Congratulations to President-elect Nasry 'Tito' Asfura @titoasfura and the great people of Honduras on a successful and hard-fought election. The US looks forward to working closely with the new Asfura Administration."

Controversial Pardon

Earlier this month, Trump had also pardoned former Honduran President and a member of Asfura's National Party, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was serving a sentence in the US in a drug trafficking case, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)