The Honduran presidential election remains in a state of deadlock as the country’s two dominant right-wing parties contest an increasingly narrow margin. Preliminary results from the National Electoral Council (CNE) place National Party (PN) candidate Nasry Asfura ahead of his rival, Liberal Party (PL) candidate and prominent television personality Salvador Nasralla, by a slim margin of approximately 33,000 votes.
In a strategic move, the Liberal Party has consented to a CNE-initiated special recount of 2,792 ballot boxes flagged for inconsistencies, a process encompassing nearly half a million votes that commenced earlier this week. However, Nasralla has issued a firm ultimatum, declaring that this initial review is insufficient for a conclusive outcome.
The central point of contention lies with an additional 8,845 polling stations formally challenged by the Liberal Party. Nasralla asserts these stations were marred by significant biometric system failures and other critical technical irregularities, potentially affecting around 1.8 million ballots. He has publicly demanded that the CNE proceed without delay or corruption to inspect every one of these challenged boxes following the current limited recount.
“I challenge the authorities to open these ballot boxes,” Nasralla stated. “If, upon review, the National Party holds more votes—even if alterations occurred within the electoral warehouse—I will concede. However, we will categorically reject any proclaimed final result until the votes from all 8,845 challenged polling stations we have duly identified are fully counted and verified.”
Nasralla contends that a thorough and transparent audit of these disputed votes would ultimately swing the election in his favor, projecting a lead of over 149,155 votes against the Nationalists once all inconsistencies are reconciled. He maintains that Honduran electoral law grants the CNE full authority to mandate these special reviews, emphasizing that the party’s objective is not to disrupt the process but to ensure ultimate transparency and a result that genuinely reflects the will of the electorate.