LIVE: 6.5 million in Honduras vote in tense presidential election marked by foreign interference, fraud allegations

LIVE UPDATES

Polls open at 7:00 AM local time (13:00 GMT) and close at 5:00 PM local time (23:00 GMT).

18:55 GMT: Honduran President Xiomara Castro said: “The satisfaction we feel goes beyond what I personally think — it reflects the sentiment of the people. We have intervened in all areas,” in her remarks on today’s elections.

17:25 GMT: The EU Election Observation Mission has deployed 138 observers across the country for today’s vote. Teams are visiting polling centres in every department, filing reports through a dedicated app that forwards their assessments to the mission’s central team in Tegucigalpa.

17:05 GMT: Nasry Asfura, the National Party’s presidential candidate, has arrived at the polling centre where he is set to cast his vote.

15:45 GMT: Tensions rose near a polling centre when some supporters of Salvador Nasralla confronted journalists covering Sunday’s presidential election. Several reporters were attacked while documenting the incident, underscoring the growing friction between media crews and Nasralla’s sympathisers.

15:15 GMT: Salvador Nasralla, the Liberal Party (PLH) presidential candidate, cast his vote in Tegucigalpa, accompanied by his wife, Iroshka Elvir.

14:15 GMT: Libre’s presidential candidate, Rixi Moncada, cast her vote, arriving at the polling station accompanied by political allies.

13:30 GMT: “The only results that count are those issued by the CNE,” said Ana Paola Hall, the council’s presiding member, on Sunday morning. With that statement, Honduras enters its most tense election day in a decade, as voters decide who will succeed President Xiomara Castro.

13:00 GMT: Honduras’s polls open as voters begin a decisive day for the country’s political future.

11:47 GMT: Honduras’s Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to remain strictly impartial throughout the electoral process. They emphasised what is set out in Article 284 of the Electoral Law, which makes clear that the final declaration of results is the exclusive responsibility of the National Electoral Council (CNE).

10:26 GMT: Electoral Commission confirms that the use of the biometric device is mandatory

10:15 GMT: Ahead of the polls, the head of the Electoral Mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS) urges Hondurans to go out in their numbers to vote in a peaceful manner and calls on all actors to respect the citizens' right to choose while awaiting the results that will be delivered by the CNE

09:45 GMT: Honduras rejects US 'interference' as Trump wades into election debate

Honduran Vice Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres Zelaya sharply criticised US President Donald Trump for interfering in the country’s internal affairs ahead of the 30 November elections.

Speaking at a press conference in Tegucigalpa, he argued that Washington’s recent moves show clear double standards in its public stance on drug trafficking. Torres Zelaya condemned what he described as external pressure, warning that Honduras would not accept actions that could pave the way for a return to the “narco-state” the country fought to overcome. More here

09:38 GMT: Trump to pardon Honduras’ former leader Hernández, serving time for narcotrafficking

Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will grant a full pardon to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence in the United States after being convicted of drug-trafficking and weapons-related offences.

The announcement, made just two days before Honduras goes to the polls, immediately sent shockwaves through the country. In his statement, Trump insisted that Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly,” framing the pardon as a corrective measure rather than a political intervention. Read more

What to know

• Hondurans will vote for president, all 128 members of the National Congress and local offices in 298 municipalities.
• The election will be a single round of voting, and the candidate who receives the most votes will be declared the winner; no runoff is required. The winner is expected to take office on January 25, 2026.
• Approximately 6.5 million Hondurans are eligible to vote, including about 400,000 living in the United States. Hondurans abroad are permitted to vote only for presidential candidates. Voting is obligatory, but no penalties are imposed on citizens who do not participate.
• Three frontrunners dominate the race: Rixi Moncada (LIBRE), Nasry “Tito” Asfura (National Party), and Salvador Nasralla (Liberal Party). Polls show no clear favourite, with surveys varying widely and some placing each candidate alternately in the lead.
• Both the ruling party and opposition have accused each other of plotting fraud. President Xiomara Castro called the situation a “criminal conspiracy aimed at staging an electoral coup.”
• Asfura accused LIBRE of “pressure” and “abuse” against election officials and threatened to mobilise supporters. Moncada alleged an “illicit” partnership between rival parties to “steal the elections.”
• The National Electoral Council (CNE) faces internal turmoil after leaked audio allegedly captured councillor Cossette Lopez discussing plans to “alter the popular vote” and claiming “the military is on our side.” The attorney general says the recording is real; Lopez’s allies claim it is AI-generated.
• The head of the armed forces, Roosevelt Hernández, demanded the right to run a parallel vote count—an action watchdog groups denounced as unlawful interference.
• The United States has become directly involved. U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Asfura and claimed, without evidence, that Moncada and Nasralla are tied to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Other U.S. politicians have issued similar warnings.
• Memories of Honduras’ 2009 coup, which ousted then-president Manuel Zelaya, cast a long shadow over this election. President Castro compared today’s tensions to the “same groups” behind past fraud and coups.
• Activists fear a repeat of the disputed 2017 election, when a mysterious blackout interrupted the vote tally. Allegations of endemic corruption and manipulation persist across the political spectrum.
• The OAS plans to deploy 100 election observers, and the EU has also called for a transparent process.
• Honduras’s political climate is deeply polarised, shaped by foreign policy, U.S. pressure, relations with Venezuela, China’s rising influence, and concerns over security, migration, and economic inequality.
• The next president will inherit slow economic growth, inflation near 5%, high dependence on remittances and widespread poverty, making security, the economy and anti-corruption the defining issues of this election as the country awaits the first results tonight.

Overview of the main contenders

The contest centres on three figures who represent different political blocs and visions for the country:

• Rixi Moncada (LIBRE): The outgoing president’s pick and former defence minister, Moncada, has campaigned on continuing the social and anti-corruption agenda of Xiomara Castro while promising tougher measures against organised crime. She draws support from the left and LIBRE’s grassroots networks.
• Nasry “Tito” Asfura (National Party): A conservative former mayor of Tegucigalpa and 2021 runner-up, Asfura runs on a platform of security, economic stability and pro-business policies. He is viewed as the National Party’s strongest challenger.
• Salvador Nasralla (Liberal Party): A media personality and former vice-president/designate under Castro, who later broke with her administration, Nasralla appeals to anti-establishment and anti-corruption voters and has positioned himself as an alternative to both LIBRE and the National Party.
• Other registered candidates include figures from smaller parties (e.g., Innovation and Unity, Christian Democrats) who could affect vote splits in some regions. Read more about these candidates here.

Key issues in the election

• Security and organised crime: Gang violence and organised crime remain a dominant concern. The government’s security measures, including states of exception and greater military deployment, are central campaign themes and a flashpoint for critics worried about rights and electoral fairness.
• Corruption and rule of law: Allegations of corruption and impunity, including the international attention around former officials, shape voter distrust and are used heavily in attack ads and debate lines.
• Economy and jobs: Unemployment and economic insecurity are major voter concerns; candidates offer a mix of social programs, business incentives, and technocratic reforms to address growth and livelihoods.

Voting and electoral context

• On November 28, 2025, just two days before the elections, Donald J. Trump announced he would grant a full pardon to Juan Orlando Hernández, the former Honduran president currently serving a 45-year prison sentence in the U.S. for drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. You can see more here.
• The timing, so close to the vote, has provoked a sharp reaction in Honduras. The vice foreign minister Gerardo Torres Zelaya publicly condemned the pardon as a form of external interference, warning that it seeks to pave the way for the return of what he called the “narco-state” associated with Hernández’s time in power. You can read more here.
• Beyond the pardon, Trump also used his social-media platform to publicly endorse conservative candidate Nasry "Tito" Asfura (party linked to Hernández), while disparaging other contenders, labelling leftist and centre-leaning candidates as “communists” or “borderline communists.”
• Domestic and international observers warn that public statements and support from a powerful foreign actor, especially one convicted of major drug offences, threaten the perceived neutrality of the election, risking a loss of legitimacy, inhibition of fair competition, and undermining the rule of law.
• The political climate, already tense because of allegations of corruption and organised-crime influence, now blends electoral uncertainty with concerns over foreign intervention, past impunity and mistrust in institutions. Many voters and civil society groups fear the outcome may reflect influence from abroad more than a genuine democratic choice.

Historical background

Honduras arrives at this vote after a politically charged decade marked by contested elections, corruption scandals tied to past administrations, and persistent security challenges. Outgoing president Xiomara Castro’s government emphasised social spending and a tougher posture on gangs; her endorsement of Moncada frames the vote partly as a referendum on those policies. International players, including the U.S., are paying close attention to both the substance of the campaigns and the conduct of the vote.