U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a sharp warning to Honduras, stating there would be “hell to pay” if the country’s election results change and pressing officials to complete the vote count quickly. The threat came amid a tense and close presidential contest on Sunday, shadowed by Trump's dual interventions: a public endorsement of conservative candidate Nasry "Tito" Asfura and a promise to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving a 45-year U.S. prison sentence for drug trafficking. Honduran officials, who extended voting by one hour, are now conducting a slow, manual tally with no official winner yet declared.

Preliminary results with roughly half of polling stations reporting showed a neck-and-neck race between two conservative candidates: Asfura of the National Party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. Rixi Moncada of the ruling left-wing LIBRE party trailed in third place. The National Electoral Council (CNE) has urged patience and called on parties to avoid fanning "the flames of confrontation or violence".

A Contentious U.S. Intervention

Trump's involvement began days before the vote. On his Truth Social platform, he endorsed Asfura, the former mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa. He framed the election as a battle against what he called "Narcocommunists" and made U.S. aid contingent on the outcome.

"If he [Asfura] doesn't win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad," Trump wrote. He also announced his intention to pardon former President Hernández, calling his U.S. prosecution "very harshly and unfairly" and a "Biden administration set-up". Hernández, who led the same National Party as Asfura, was convicted in 2024 for conspiring to traffic hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.

Mixed Reactions in Honduras and the U.S.

The intervention drew mixed reactions within Honduras. Some voters welcomed the attention, hoping it might lead to more favorable U.S. immigration policies. Others resented the interference. "I vote for whomever I please, not because of what Trump has said," said Esmeralda Rodriguez, a 56-year-old fruit seller in Tegucigalpa.

Analysts debated the impact. Law professor Oliver Erazo suggested voters' decisions were largely solidified before Trump's comments. However, Juan Carlos Aguilar of the More Just Society NGO argued the endorsement swayed undecided voters, tightening the race between Asfura and Nasralla.

In Washington, the move sparked bipartisan warnings about election integrity and fierce criticism from progressive lawmakers. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stated the U.S. would respond "swiftly and decisively" to anyone undermining the democratic process. The Congressional Progressive Caucus accused Trump of "flagrantly interfering," calling his actions "completely unacceptable".

A Nation's Top Concerns

Beyond geopolitics, Honduran voters focused on persistent domestic challenges. Security and unemployment were top priorities, even though homicide rates have fallen under outgoing President Xiomara Castro. Honduras retains the highest homicide rate in Central America.

Corruption remains a deep-seated concern. "Enough with corruption," said first-time voter Nancy Serrano, 20, who worries it limits opportunities for youth. Candidates traded accusations of planning fraud throughout the campaign, and preemptive claims of a rigged vote from both government and opposition quarters fueled public distrust.

A Tense Wait for Results

With the vote count progressing slowly by hand, the CNE has up to 30 days to declare an official winner. Leading candidates have resisted declaring victory, each claiming their internal counts show a favorable trend.

The election marks a potential political shift. Castro's 2021 victory ended over a century of alternating rule by the National and Liberal parties. A win for either Asfura or Nasralla would return a conservative government to power. The outcome will also test the limits of U.S. influence and set the tone for bilateral relations, with Trump's warnings hanging over the final tally.