The recent presidential elections in Honduras felt like the never-ending story in recent weeks, but we can officially report that Nasry “Tito” Asfura is the winner. He’s the conservative candidate who was backed by Donald Trump earlier this year. It was close. Asfura received just over 40% of the vote, while center-right candidate Salvador Nasralla got about 39.5%. The far-left socialist candidate, Rixi Moncada, who was hand-picked by the sitting president received about 19% of the vote.
The inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2026, and, despite initial claims of fraud, current president Xiomara Castro promises there will be a peaceful transition of power. The Honduran military has also promised to honor the results. Much of this probably stems from the fact that theUnited States and Organization of American States (OAS) are watching closely. As a matter of fact, as soon a the results were confirmed today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put out a statement congratulating Asfura and urging all parties involved to respect the results:
The United States congratulates President-Elect Nasry Asfura of Honduras on his clear electoral victory, confirmed by Honduras’ National Electoral Council. We look forward to working with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries. The United States urges all parties to respect the confirmed results so that Honduran authorities may swiftly ensure a peaceful transition of authority to President-Elect Nasry Asfura.
Other regional allies, like Argentina’s President Javier Milei, also released positive statements:
Tito Asfura’s victory is a resounding defeat for narco-socialism and a clear signal that freedom is once again prevailing in Honduras.
The Honduran people expressed themselves with courage at the ballot boxes and chose to end years of authoritarianism and decay.
From Argentina, we celebrate the triumph of freedom and reaffirm our commitment to democracy, the popular will, and the unrestricted respect for institutions in the region. VLLC!
So, why do we care?
As I’ve written numerous times, many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are finally taking a big swing to the right for some of the same reasons the U.S. did in 2024. People are fed up with mass migration, economic slumps, lack of national security, and government corruption. They want leaders who put their countries first, who open their economies up to create jobs and wealth, and who aren’t afraid to combat crime head-on.
And it’s all happening at a perfect time. Trump’s recently released National Security Strategy leans heavily on ensuring “that the Western Hemisphere remains reasonably stable and well-governed enough to prevent and discourage mass migration to the United States; we want a Hemisphere whose governments cooperate with us against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other transnational criminal organizations; we want a Hemisphere that remains free of hostile foreign incursion or ownership of key assets, and that supports critical supply chains; and we want to ensure our continued access to key strategic locations.”
It also states, “We will enlist established friends in the Hemisphere to control migration, stop drug flows, and strengthen stability and security on land and sea. We will expand by cultivating and strengthening new partners while bolstering our own nation’s appeal as the Hemisphere’s economic and security partner of choice.”
Asfura promises to become a close ally to the United States and President Trump. As I said, the president even endorsed him, which led to many, particularly on the left, complaining about “U.S. interference.”
It’s funny — when you look at the headlines about the Honduran elections from our media in recent weeks, you can easily tell where they stand. A social media blurb from the New York Times reads “Honduras declares Nasry Asfura the presidential winner by a razor-thin margin in a race upended by President Trump.” That’s kind of dramatic — the lefty was never going to win, and the race between the other two has always been tight, even before Trump spoke up.
Anyway, I’m getting off track. Another reason why this is a good thing is that one of the issues Asfura campaigned on is cutting ties with China, Cuba, and Venezuela (at least, Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro), and focusing on relationships with Taiwan and, again, the U.S.
Domestically, he’s a free market guy who campaigned on creating jobs, reducing bureaucracy, and building infrastructure through private participation. He’s tough on crime, especially drug trafficking and the organized crime that plagues the region, and he wants to decentralize services and resources. Something I like about him is that he is strongly in favor of pushing technical education to create actual skilled workers that align with the job market.
Asfura was a businessman in the construction industry before entering politics and most recently served as the mayor of the town of Tegucigalpa from 2014 until 2022. He’s of Palestinian Christian descent — his grandparents immigrated to Central America during the 1940s. I’m looking forward to seeing what our relationship looks like with the Central American country under his leadership.
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