Trump-backed candidate Asfura declared new president of Honduras

"Donald Trump-backed candidate Nasry Tito Asfura has been declared the winner of Honduras's presidential election after a vote count that dragged on for almost a month and was marred by fraud allegations and criticism of interference by the US president. The rightwing Asfura, 67, a construction magnate and former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, secured 40.27% of the vote, against 39.53% for the centre-right Salvador Nasralla, a margin of just 28,000 votes."

"The electoral council proclaimed a winner before completing the review of all tally sheets under a special scrutiny launched last week earlier to recount votes flagged as inconsistent. The decision was criticised by defeated candidates and lamented by the Organization of American States, which sent an observation mission to the election held on 30 November but whose vote count had remained unresolved since then."

"The electoral council is made up of three councillors: one aligned with Asfura's party, one with Nasralla's, and one with the party of the leftist president, Xiomara Castro, whose candidate finished third. Asfura's victory was declared only by the first two councillors. The representative linked to the president's party refused to recognise the result, alleged that an electoral coup was under way and filed a complaint with the public prosecutor's office, raising the prospect that the outcome will be challenged in court."

Nasry Tito Asfura was proclaimed Honduras's president-elect after a prolonged vote count that lasted almost a month. Asfura secured 40.27% of the vote against Salvador Nasralla's 39.53%, a difference of about 28,000 votes. The electoral council declared a winner before completing a special review of tally sheets flagged as inconsistent. Defeated candidates criticised the decision and the Organization of American States lamented the unresolved count. Nasralla refused to concede, alleging forgery and altered tally-sheet data. The three-member council split along partisan lines, with one councillor refusing to recognise the result and filing a prosecutor complaint, opening prospects for legal challenges.

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