Marco Rubio congratulates Honduran President-elect Nasry Asfura

President Donald Trump had endorsed Honduran President-elect Nasry Asfura, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked him for winning the contentious election.

Rubio and Asfura spoke about cooperating on issues like trade and security, according to the Department of State’s report on Friday.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

The State Department praised President-elect Asfura for advancing our bilateral and regional security cooperation, strengthening economic ties, and supporting our bilateral and regional economic ties, according to a statement from the State Department.

In the November 30 election, Asfura won a close call on Wednesday thanks to Trump’s support for his campaign. After counting for weeks, election officials declared Asfura the winner amid mounting tensions and allegations of fraud and impigraphy from other candidates.

With 40.27 percent of the vote, Asfura, a member of the National Party, outnumbers Salvador Nasralla of the center-right Liberal Party. Nasralla received 39.53 percent.

“I’m very happy to have the opportunity to work for you today. I raise my hand so that we can work tirelessly for Honduras. In a video statement made available on Wednesday night, Asfura said, “I will not fail you.”

The election results have been contested by both Rixi Moncada and Nasralla, the left-leaning LIBRE Party candidate for current president Xiomara Castro, who came in a distant third.

According to Nasralla, the election authorities “betrayed the Honduran people” on Wednesday. Trump, who previously claimed that any victory for anyone but Asfura would threaten US economic ties with Honduras, was also attacked by him.

In a social media post, Nasralla wrote, “Your endorsed candidate in Honduras is complicit in stifling the votes of our citizens.” Why doesn’t he permit the counting of every vote if he is truly deserving of your support, if his hands are clean, and if he has nothing to fear?

Since a US-backed coup in 2009, Honduras has gone through several contested elections. The November election has so far been peaceful protests.

Juan Orlando Hernandez, a former right-wing leader in Honduras who was found guilty of crimes relating to the trafficking of drugs into the US while in office, received a harsh pardon before the election.

The US says it is shifting its attention away from the Americas as a result of the pardon.

Asfura is of Palestinian descent and was formerly mayor of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. However, his party is steadfastly Israel-friendly.

In violation of international law, Honduras became the only nation to move its embassy there in Israel to Jerusalem under Hernandez’ leadership in 2021.