Mexico City, 25 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Honduran election authorities on Wednesday declared Nasry "Tito" Asfura the winner of the country's presidential election more than three weeks after the vote, following a prolonged count marked by allegations of irregularities.

Asfura, the candidate of the right-wing National Party and backed by US President Donald Trump, won 40.27% of the vote, the electoral authority said. His closest rival, Salvador Nasralla of the centrist Liberal Party, secured 39.54%, while Rixi Moncada of the left-wing ruling Libre party finished a distant third.

"Honduras: I am ready to govern," Asfura wrote on social media platform X after the result was announced, adding that he would not disappoint voters.

The November 30 election was followed by delays as electoral officials reviewed numerous ballots flagged for irregularities. Political parties across the spectrum raised accusations of fraud during the counting process.

Trump had intervened ahead of the vote, urging Hondurans to back Asfura and saying the country could count on US support only if he won. The US president also issued a pardon for former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been serving a 45-year sentence in the United States over drug trafficking.

Hernandez and Asfura are members of the same party.

Asfura, a 67-year-old construction magnate, has pledged to push ahead with major infrastructure projects, strengthen ties with the United States and sever diplomatic relations with China in favour of renewed support for Taiwan.

Photo: epa