Honduran election turmoil grows as president decries 'electoral coup'

Honduran Election Turmoil Escalates Amid Claims of ‘Electoral Coup’. Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday denounced what she called an “electoral coup” unfolding amid a chaotic vote count from the November 30 presidential election. Hundreds of protesters gathered in the streets of the capital, Tegucigalpa, demanding clarity over the tally.

The election has been marred by technical failures, unsubstantiated claims of fraud, and controversy fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold funding for Honduras if his preferred candidate does not win.

“We are seeing a process marked by threats, coercion, manipulation of the TREP (vote transmission system), and adulteration of the popular will,” Castro, from the leftist LIBRE party, told reporters. She also condemned Trump’s intervention on behalf of conservative candidate Nasry Asfura of the National Party. “These actions constitute an electoral coup that is under way, and we will denounce them.”

Castro’s comments come amid growing tension in Honduras, while election officials continue to urge calm. On Tuesday evening, around 500 LIBRE supporters protested outside offices in Tegucigalpa where election ballots are being stored, with some setting car tires on fire, according to Reuters witnesses.

The protest followed a call by former President Manuel Zelaya, current LIBRE leader and husband of Castro, urging supporters to reject the electoral process, which he labeled “failed and fraudulent.” Honduran law limits Castro to a single term.

In response, Ana Paola Hall, head of Honduras’ National Electoral Council (CNE), requested military deployment to protect the ballot storage facilities. Tally sheets flagged for inconsistencies have become a focal point of uncertainty, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of votes.

Asfura currently leads the count by 1.32 percentage points—roughly 40,000 votes—with 99.4% of tally sheets counted as of Tuesday night. However, 14.5% of the sheets contain inconsistencies and will undergo a special review by the electoral authority, party representatives, and international observers. -Laura Garcia and Fredy Rodriguez/Reuters

Trump has publicly backed Asfura, the 67-year-old former mayor of Tegucigalpa, and suggested he could cut U.S. funding to Honduras if Asfura loses. Center-right Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla, 72, trails in second place, while former LIBRE defense minister Rixi Moncada comes in third with 19.29% of the vote.

Results remain preliminary until the review is complete. The CNE has until December 30 to officially declare a winner, who will take office in January for the 2026–2030 term. Both leading candidates have claimed victory based on their own tallies. Nasralla has alleged irregularities, while the LIBRE Party has called for annulment of the entire process.

Despite protests in 2017 that left about 30 people dead after disputed elections, streets in Tegucigalpa and other cities were calm on Tuesday.

The U.S. government said it is closely monitoring the process and is prepared to act “swiftly and decisively” in response to any irregularities.

The November 30 vote was peaceful, according to independent observers. However, delays in reporting results have fueled frustration over the tight race. Electoral officials attributed the slow count to ASD, the Colombian firm managing the tabulation platform, which faced scrutiny after a staffer reportedly requested passwords for the vote transmission system. The CNE confirmed that passwords were immediately changed.

Hall said the technical issues were resolved quickly and reaffirmed the CNE’s commitment to safeguard voters’ choices and ensure democratic integrity.

Ahead of the vote, Trump had publicly endorsed Asfura, criticized rivals, and promised to pardon former National Party President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who served a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking. While Hernandez is now free, his wife told Reuters he will not return to Honduras for security reasons. On Monday, Honduras’ attorney general issued an arrest warrant for Hernandez and requested Interpol assistance. Hernandez described himself on social media as “the victim of a conspiracy by the radical left.”

The election also determined 128 members of the unicameral Congress and thousands of local officials. Both ruling and opposition parties traded fraud allegations while offering limited solutions to Honduras’ persistent challenges: drug trafficking, corruption, and widespread poverty affecting six in ten Hondurans.

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