The US president again calls for votes for the National Party candidate and conditions US aid on his victory
Xiomara Castro defends that sovereignty "is neither sold nor negotiated"
White House occupant Donald Trump proposed on Friday granting a pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022), sentenced last year in the United States to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking, as part of his messages in support of the conservative National Party candidate, Nasry Asfura, in this weekend’s presidential elections.
“I will grant a full and complete pardon to former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who, according to many people whom I deeply respect, has been treated very harshly and unjustly. This cannot continue, especially now,” he said, predicting a victory for the conservative candidate that will “lead” Honduras “to great political and financial success.”
Trump has thus once again weighed in on the elections in the Central American country: “Vote for ‘Tito’ Asfura for President and congratulations to Juan Orlando Hernández on his upcoming pardon,” he stated in a message posted on his Truth Social profile.
“If ‘Tito’ Asfura wins the Presidency of Honduras, due to the great confidence the United States has in him, in his policies, and in what he will do for the great Honduran people, we will strongly support him. If he doesn’t win, the United States will not waste its money, because a misguided leader can only bring catastrophic results to any country, no matter what it is,” he declared.
In short, the US president concluded that “‘Tito’ will be a great president, and the United States will work closely with him to ensure Honduras’s success, to its full potential.”
This same week, Trump already appealed for votes for Asfura in a message attacking the ruling party’s Rixi Moncada, who criticized Washington for invoking the “specter of communism” to interfere in the campaign, and former Vice President Salvador Nasralla, who chose to assure him that he would have in him “an ally of freedom.”
CASTRO REAFFIRMES HONDURAN SOVEREIGNTY
Shortly after Trump’s remarks, Honduran President Xiomara Castro asserted that sovereignty “is neither sold nor negotiated.” “This November 30th, it will once again be the Honduran people who decide freely and peacefully,” she stated in a message on her Twitter account.
“As President of the Republic, my responsibility is to guarantee tranquility, transparency, and absolute respect for the popular will, so that the refounding and development of our nation may continue,” she added.
For her part, the ruling party candidate, Rixi Moncada, stated that “those abroad want to revive criminals and halt the liberation process that arose in response to the coup d’état of June 28, 2009,” referring to the uprising against former president Manuel Zelaya—husband of President Castro.
“The financial elites who exploit our people and pull their strings in Washington are hypocrites; they don’t care about justice, much less democracy. On Sunday, November 30, together with the people, we will defeat them at the polls,” she asserted on social media.
The candidates in the Honduran general elections, held on Sunday, November 30, concluded a tense campaign last weekend marked by accusations of fraud and attacks between them, blaming each other for both the difficult economic situation and the tension in the streets.
Around six million Hondurans are eligible to vote in elections in which, in addition to the new president, the configuration of Congress, nearly 300 mayoralties, as well as Honduras’ twenty seats in the Central American Parliament are also at stake.
