Democracy in Doubt: The Case of Honduras’s 2025 Elections

19 Mar 2026

By: Solenn Buckingham

Editor/Editor-in-Chief: Grace Samuel

The views expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the International Relations Society.

Secretary Rubio Meets with Honduran President - Wikimedia Commons

In December 2025, Conservative National Party candidate Nasry Asfura was declared president of Honduras for the 2026-2030 term. And yet, his rise to power raises inevitable questions on the global recession into right-wing ideologies. Surpassing his rival from the centre-right Liberal Party, Salvador Nasralla, with a supposed majority of 27,000 votes (40.3%), his influence is undeniable. However, the consolidation of his presidency has equally faced backlash for fraudulent elections and US president Donald Trump’s interference. In this way, Nasfura’s steps for presidency and its consequences must be assessed. 

Asfura vs. Nasralla: the fight for power 

Nasry Asfura initially served as mayor in the capital Tegucigalpa for two consecutive periods between 2014 and 2022, focusing on urbanisation through improved infrastructural projects and vehicle mobility. During the presidential elections, Asfura especially sought support from both the rural and urban spaces in his promises of foreign backing, employment, infrastructural production, strengthening the agricultural sector and the implementation of projects for the local economy. Through the use of carefully crafted slogans promoting "trabajo y más trabajo" ("work and more work"), the president’s political branding is rooted in diligence and productivity, which seeks to mobilise the masses. His popularity is only furthered by president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Cortés (CCIC) Karim Qubain’s assertions of the “positive impacts that Asfura could have for the economy of the country”. In a country where poverty is rife, affecting 60% of the 11 million inhabitants, a cult of personality promising stability and progress proves particularly effective in consolidating control. In contrast, Nasralla’s more centrist positioning mobilised support through denouncing irregularities within Honduras’s political sphere, inciting institutional distrust. 

Fraudulent elections/ corruptions

Similar to Nasralla’s former government accused of fraudulent elections and complaints of inconsistencies, Asfuranow faces central criticism for his disregarding of democracy.  Honduras’ day of elections faced major obstacles due to supposed technical issues, where president of the National Electoral Council, Ana Paula Hall, blamed the private company in charge of presenting the results for the delay. Consequently, a backlog meant 15% of tally sheets were counted by hand, with only a mere 36% being actually processed. What is more, Asfura’s inauguration ceremony exacerbated tensions. Taking office at the Parliament Headquarters instead of the National Stadium traditionally used, as with his refusal to invite presidents and heads of state from other countries, confirms a deliberate departure from established political norms. 

Trump’s interference 

Honduras’s bilateral relations with the US have been integral to economic security, where remittances make up 31% of GDP. From the outset, Asfura intends to strengthen these relations with the US. Yet, Trump’s interference reflects the wider dangers of neocolonialism within a global recession to far-right ideologies. The presidential elections came during a politically tumultuous climate, ruptured by Trump’s increased pressure on Venezuela. The US president stated that "democracy is on trial" in Honduras, foreseeing a “takeover” if Asfura’s rivals won the election. Two days after threatening to cut off aid in Honduras if Asfura did not win, Trump pardoned Hernández, Honduras's right-wing ex-president, accused of turning his country into a narco-state. Contrary to previous crackdowns on drug flows in the US, this measure shows an inconsistency in policy, reinforcing the favouring of political alliances over state objectives.  

Consequences of the election results: the rise of the New Right 

Asfura’s ascent to a presidency backed by Trump reflects the broader wave of the New Right in Latin America. Understood by Alberto Vergara, radical New Right parties are defined by their institutional and partisan dimensions, which differ from the traditional Right in the sense that they seek to mobilise the masses through polarisation, antagonisation, and most harrowingly through a romanticisation of colonial history. In this way, the New Right should not be seen as an immediate construct, but rather a trajectory within specific national, institutional and political contexts. Asfura’s presidency comes to mirror the emergence of Kast’s own far-right presidency in Chile. Public events, rallies, and mobilising their base have become a clear way of polarising against adversaries.

Asfura’s presidency not only represents the derailment of democracy within a Honduran context but also calls for a reflection on how these dominating discourses redefine our understanding of democratic legitimacy itself. In other words, the results raise a central concern: can an election be considered legitimate when shaped by foreign influences?