Nasralla says Trump tilted Honduras race as final vote count hangs in balance

Salvador Nasralla, the centrist contender in Honduras’s tight presidential race, has accused US President Donald Trump of meddling in the election after Washington openly backed his conservative rival Nasry Asfura.

Trump endorsed Asfura last week, calling Nasralla a “borderline communist,” a move Nasralla argues damaged his lead.

“It hurt me because I was winning by a much larger margin,” the 72-year-old told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

The US president has inserted himself into the contest at several points, repeatedly suggesting that the vote was fraudulent after early results showed what officials described as a “technical tie”. On Truth Social, Trump warned that “there will be hell to pay” if results are changed. He previously threatened to cut aid to Honduras if Asfura did not win and even pre-emptively announced a pardon for ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, convicted in the US on drug trafficking charges.

Election authorities say 87 percent of ballots have been processed, but around 17 percent show “inconsistencies” and are under review. Final results are due by December 30. Current tallies put Asfura ahead with roughly 40.27 percent to Nasralla’s 39.38 percent, but analysts say the race remains open.

Nasralla has alleged irregularities in both primary voting and this week’s count in posts on X. None of the claims have been independently verified.