Politics

Presidential elections in Honduras: Who is the winner?

Honduras’ National Electoral Council has released a preliminary report, which points to a change of who will take the helm in the Central American country.

Leonel Estrada

Eduardo López

Estados Unidos Update: Dec 1st, 2025 06:21 EST

Honduras is facing one of its most uncertain election nights in recent years. Hours after polls closed, the country’s National Electoral Council released its first preliminary report, and the early numbers point to a dramatic shift away from the ruling party of outgoing president Xiomara Castro.

But with less than a fifth of the ballots counted, the race for the presidency remains wide open — and the leading candidates are separated by a margin thin enough to reshape the country’s political future overnight.

A delayed first count sends tensions soaring

The first results were supposed to be announced at 9 p.m. local time. Instead, Hondurans waited until nearly 11 p.m. to get their first glimpse of the vote tally, stretching an already tense post-election evening even further.

When the update finally arrived, the numbers showed trouble for Castro’s left-leaning LIBRE party and for her preferred successor, Rixi Moncada.

Moncada entered the night as the candidate backed directly by the current administration. But early results place her far behind, garnering just 19.6% of the ballots counted so far.

So who is leading the race for president?

Right now, the competition is between two center-right contenders:

Nasry “Tito” Asfura (National Party of Honduras): 40.6%
Salvador Nasralla (Liberal Party of Honduras): 38.7%

Asfura — a well-known figure in Honduran politics — is the preferred candidate of the President Donald Trump, who has been critical of Nasralla, a former TV host turned political leader.

Asfura’s lead may not last

Ana Paola Hall, president of the National Electoral Council, confirmed that only 6,559 tally sheets — just 19.1% of the total — have been counted. With such a small slice of the vote reported, the race could narrow quickly, and neither Asfura nor Nasralla can claim victory yet.

One thing is clear: regardless of which candidate emerges with the final win, Honduras appears to be shifting away from leftist governance and toward a center-right realignment. If trends hold, Castro’s LIBRE party is poised to hand over the keys to the presidential palace, José Cecilio del Valle, after just one term.

Presidential elections in Honduras: Who is the winner? — The party of Xiomara Castro, the current president of Honduras, would lose power.Honduras Presidency

When will Honduras release more results?

Because the first update was delayed, the second count is also expected to arrive late — likely in the early hours of the morning.

For those tracking the vote in real time, the National Electoral Council is updating progress on its official website as new tally sheets are processed.