Honduras, a Central American country with a population of 10 million (6.5 million eligible voters), held its presidential election on the 30th (local time) to elect a four-year term.
Voters began casting their ballots at polling stations at 7:00 AM that day, the opening time.
Of the six candidates who cast ballots, three are considered likely to win. Rixy Moncada (60), a candidate from the left-leaning Liberty and Reconstruction Party (Libre Party), served as Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense under the current administration of President Xiomara Castro before preparing for the presidency. He is also a founding member of the ruling party.
Salvador Nasralya (72), a centrist candidate from the Liberal Party, is a well-known TV host and a close associate of President Castro who has since parted ways politically. Including those who dropped out midway through the race, this will be his fourth presidential bid.
The other candidate is Nasri “Tito” Aspura (67), a businessman from the right-leaning National Party, who served as mayor of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, from 2014 to 2022.These three candidates have shown a close race in various opinion polls before the election, each with approval ratings in the 20-30% range.
Therefore, the general view is that it will be difficult to predict a winner until the votes are counted, local media outlet La Prensa reported. El País, a Spanish-language media outlet, also pointed out that opinion polls conducted in Honduras in recent years have rarely matched the actual results.The differences between the left-wing candidates Moncada and Aspura are stark in their platform pledges.
For example, Moncada promised economic democratization to reduce the gap between rich and poor, while Aspura pledged to eradicate corruption rampant in politics and implement pro-business policies.
Regarding measures to reduce Central America’s highest crime rate, both candidates emphasized restoring the rule of law and strengthening the military and police. The Associated Press reported that during their campaigns, the candidates focused primarily on accusing their opponents of possible election fraud.
The Honduran presidential election drew international attention due to President Donald Trump’s controversial endorsement of right-wing candidate Tito Aspura in the final stages. On the 26th, President Trump wrote on TruthSocial, “I hope the Honduran people will vote for freedom and democracy and elect Tito Aspura as their president.” He then announced that he would pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (57), who served in the United States from 2014 to 2022 and is currently serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Hernández was a member of the right-wing National Party and maintained a cooperative relationship with President Trump during his first term. Local media reported that there was favorable public opinion in Honduras toward various infrastructure projects during the Hernández administration.
On this day, Honduran voters will also elect 128 members of the National Assembly. The current parliamentary structure is dominated by a minority government, with the opposition coalition nearing ⅔ of the seats.