Honduras President Xiomara Castro Accuses Trump of Electoral Interference in Contested Vote

Xiomara Castro has accused Donald Trump of threatening Hondurans and interfering in their electoral process.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro publicly condemned what she described as manipulation of results in the recent general election, while also alleging that US President Donald Trump had meddled in the electoral process.

The final vote count remains incomplete following the November 30 presidential election. Suspicions about potential interference have grown due to multiple computer system failures that have delayed the tallying process.

According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), Trump-endorsed conservative candidate Nasry Asfura, 67, held 40.53 percent of votes as of Monday, with right-wing candidate Salvador Nasralla following closely at 39.16 percent.

Nasralla has also raised concerns about alleged electoral corruption, describing the results as "theft" and claiming he actually leads by 20 percent.

Both candidates currently maintain a substantial lead over Rixi Moncada, who represents Castro's left-wing Libre party.

Speaking at a rally in central Honduras, Castro acknowledged citizens had participated in the election with "courage and determination." However, she asserted the process was marred by "threats, coercion, manipulation of the TREP" - the country's preliminary results system - and "tampering with the popular will."

Castro further alleged that Trump "interfered" in the election by threatening Hondurans with "consequences" if they voted for Moncada.

During the final campaign stretch, Trump openly declared his support for Asfura, calling him a "friend of freedom" while accusing Nasralla of merely "pretending to be an anti-communist."

Trump also unexpectedly pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States for drug trafficking charges related to hundreds of tons of cocaine.

Nasralla is now demanding a "vote-by-vote" recount of the tallies which, according to him, reveal "a pattern of fraud where biometric recognition was not used and the tallies were drafted arbitrarily."

More than a week after the elections, election officials reported that thousands of voting records with "inconsistencies" still require review.

On Sunday night, the Libre party called for "the total annulment" of the elections and urged protests and strikes, while asking officials not to assist with the governmental transition.

The Trump administration stated on Monday that the election had been conducted fairly and that there was "no credible evidence" justifying its annulment.

According to Honduran law, the electoral council has until December 30 to officially declare a winner.

Amid the uncertainty surrounding Castro's successor, Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya requested on Tuesday that Interpol execute an arrest warrant against former president Hernandez.

The warrant was issued in 2023 - while Hernandez was already in US custody - for alleged money laundering and fraud charges.

On Tuesday, Hernandez's attorney, Renato Stabile, dismissed the prosecutor's request, characterizing it as a "desperate and shameful attempt" by the Honduran left to "remain in power," according to a statement provided to AFP in the United States.

The former Honduran president, who belongs to the same party as Trump's favored candidate Asfura, has ruled out returning to Honduras, citing fears for his safety, according to his wife Ana Garcia.