Vote count starts in Honduras election Trump sought to influence
Published in Political News
Vote counting has started in Honduras’ presidential election in which Donald Trump unexpectedly intervened at the last minute, and in which the two frontrunners pledged to end diplomatic ties with Beijing.
Former vice-president and sportscaster Salvador Nasralla, who Trump attacked as a “borderline communist,” led polls heading in to Sunday’s vote.
Nasry Asfura, a conservative former Mayor of the capital Tegucigalpa, was polling second. He won the U.S. leader’s endorsement last week as “the man who is standing up for Democracy.” Both Nasralla and Asfura have pledged to cut ties with China and Venezuela, and revive diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Rixi Moncada of the ruling Libre party, which has backed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and pledged to maintain relations with Beijing, was polling third ahead of the vote. She has hinted that she won’t recognize the results if she loses, saying that preliminary election results scheduled to be released Sunday night are “a trap.”
Trump said in a social media post that he would be unable to work with Moncada, while Nasralla is “not a reliable partner for freedom.”
Just two days before the vote, Trump said he plans to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, a former president of Honduras sentenced to 45 years in prison after being convicted of cocaine trafficking and weapons offenses. It’s unclear whether this decision will influence voters. Hernández belonged to Asfura’s National Party of Honduras.
The U.S. president told reporters on Sunday that he was “asked by Honduras” to pardon Hernández.
“I think it’s going to be a very important race,” Trump said on Air Force One en route to Washington about the election. “It’ll be interesting to see Honduras.”
The head of the armed forces, General Roosevelt Hernández, told local media that the armed forces would only recognize the full, official count, and not the quick count whose results are expected on Sunday evening.
The vote is the latest test of whether the region is aligning itself with Trump as he pressures trade partners to distance themselves from Beijing. Last week, Chileans sent conservative José Antonio Kast to a presidential runoff while, last month, pro-business senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidential runoff.
Hondurans are also electing congress. Polling stations were open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, with voting extended in some places. Initial results expected after 8 p.m, according to the National Board of Elections. Under the nation’s electoral system, the president is elected in a single round of voting.
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(With assistance from María Paula Mijares Torres and Josh Wingrove.)
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