Hondurans are casting their ballots in a general election that is being dominated by threats from US President Donald Trump. There are five presidential candidates on the bill, but the poll is essentially being seen as a three-way race between former defense minister Rixi Moncada of the leftist Libre party, TV host Salvador Nasralla from the centrist Liberals, and businessman Nasry 'Tito' Asfura, of the right-wing National Party.
Trump has thrown his support behind Asfura and threatened to cut financial aid to the Central American nation if he does not win. The most recent opinion poll puts Nasralla in the lead, but with 34% of voters saying they are still undecided, it could be anyone's race.
Outgoing president Xiomara Castro, who was the country's first female president when she took office in 2021 for the Libre party, is not allowed to run for a second term under Honduran law. She has supported Moncada to take her place. The 60-year-old lawyer has pledged to protect natural wealth from 21st-century filibusters who want to privatize everything if she wins. Moncada has also expressed her commitment to combating corruption in all its forms.
On Saturday, Moncada accused Trump of meddling in the election, calling his endorsement of her right-wing opponent totally interventionist. Trump had stated that the US would be very supportive if Tito Asfura wins the presidency.
If he doesn't win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The US sent more than $193 million to Honduras last fiscal year, according to the State Department website, and has sent more than $102 million this year despite aid cuts. The Trump Administration has already reportedly cut $167 million in economic and governance aid earmarked for 2024 and 2025.
In another post, Trump wrote that he and Asfura, who is the former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, could work together to fight the Narcocommunists and counter drug trafficking.
Nasry Asfura has pledged in a series of social media posts to bring development and opportunities for everyone, to facilitate foreign and domestic investment into the country and generate employment for all. However, his party has been plagued by scandals and corruption accusations in recent years, including the sentencing of former party leader and ex-president Juan Orlando Hernández last year.
Hernández was jailed for 45 years in the US on drug-smuggling and weapons charges - a decision Trump now intends to overturn. Asfura has carefully tried to distance himself from Hernández, stating he has no ties with the ex-president, and that the party is not responsible for his personal actions.
The current front runner is 72-year-old Salvador Nasralla, who is running for president for the fourth time. He claims that his win in 2017 was stolen due to electoral fraud perpetrated by Hernández, a claim that was never proven. According to his campaign website, Nasralla aims for an open economy, promising to generate employment and sever ties with China and Venezuela.
Tensions between Venezuela and the US have escalated recently, leading Trump to declare that Venezuela's airspace should be considered closed, even though he does not have the authority to do so.
Polls opened at 07:00 CST (13:00 GMT) and will close after 10 hours of voting. Pre-emptive accusations of election fraud have created mistrust in the process and sparked fears of post-election unrest, prompting the president of the National Electoral Council to warn all parties against provoking confrontation or violence.
Trump has thrown his support behind Asfura and threatened to cut financial aid to the Central American nation if he does not win. The most recent opinion poll puts Nasralla in the lead, but with 34% of voters saying they are still undecided, it could be anyone's race.
Outgoing president Xiomara Castro, who was the country's first female president when she took office in 2021 for the Libre party, is not allowed to run for a second term under Honduran law. She has supported Moncada to take her place. The 60-year-old lawyer has pledged to protect natural wealth from 21st-century filibusters who want to privatize everything if she wins. Moncada has also expressed her commitment to combating corruption in all its forms.
On Saturday, Moncada accused Trump of meddling in the election, calling his endorsement of her right-wing opponent totally interventionist. Trump had stated that the US would be very supportive if Tito Asfura wins the presidency.
If he doesn't win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The US sent more than $193 million to Honduras last fiscal year, according to the State Department website, and has sent more than $102 million this year despite aid cuts. The Trump Administration has already reportedly cut $167 million in economic and governance aid earmarked for 2024 and 2025.
In another post, Trump wrote that he and Asfura, who is the former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa, could work together to fight the Narcocommunists and counter drug trafficking.
Nasry Asfura has pledged in a series of social media posts to bring development and opportunities for everyone, to facilitate foreign and domestic investment into the country and generate employment for all. However, his party has been plagued by scandals and corruption accusations in recent years, including the sentencing of former party leader and ex-president Juan Orlando Hernández last year.
Hernández was jailed for 45 years in the US on drug-smuggling and weapons charges - a decision Trump now intends to overturn. Asfura has carefully tried to distance himself from Hernández, stating he has no ties with the ex-president, and that the party is not responsible for his personal actions.
The current front runner is 72-year-old Salvador Nasralla, who is running for president for the fourth time. He claims that his win in 2017 was stolen due to electoral fraud perpetrated by Hernández, a claim that was never proven. According to his campaign website, Nasralla aims for an open economy, promising to generate employment and sever ties with China and Venezuela.
Tensions between Venezuela and the US have escalated recently, leading Trump to declare that Venezuela's airspace should be considered closed, even though he does not have the authority to do so.
Polls opened at 07:00 CST (13:00 GMT) and will close after 10 hours of voting. Pre-emptive accusations of election fraud have created mistrust in the process and sparked fears of post-election unrest, prompting the president of the National Electoral Council to warn all parties against provoking confrontation or violence.
