Tegucigalpa witnessed the presidential inauguration of conservative business leader Nasry “Tito” Asfura on January 27, 2026, following one of Honduras’ most contentious electoral processes. The 67-year-old politician assumed power after securing a razor-thin victory in the November 2025 elections, which required extensive manual vote recounts due to the narrow margin.
The electoral authorities confirmed Asfura captured just over 40% of the popular vote, narrowly defeating right-leaning centrist candidate Salvador Nasralla who obtained slightly under 39%. Rixi Moncada, representing the ruling Libre party, finished a distant third with approximately 19% support. The official results showed a winning margin of merely 0.74%, triggering a manual recount of approximately 15% of all tally sheets to verify the outcome.
This political transition carries significant geopolitical implications as Asfura’s victory strengthens United States influence in Latin America. Then-US President Donald Trump openly endorsed Asfura during the campaign, warning Honduran voters of potential “catastrophic results” should his preferred candidate fail. In a controversial pre-election move, Trump granted clemency to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández—a member of Asfura’s political party—who was serving a 45-year narcotics trafficking sentence in the United States for facilitating the smuggling of 400 tons of cocaine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally congratulated Asfura on his electoral success, expressing Washington’s anticipation of collaborative governance with the new administration. The inauguration ceremony at the Congressional building in Tegucigalpa marks the beginning of Asfura’s four-year presidential term amidst both domestic scrutiny and international observation.