Honduras election on the edge of uncertainty due to technical glitch causing delay in vote count

The presidential race in Honduras continues to be extremely close as the vote tally enters its fourth consecutive day. With slightly more than 84% of ballots counted, conservative contender Nasry Asfura, who has received support from US President Donald Trump, has edged past centrist TV host Salvador Nasralla. The margin between them is exceptionally narrow, standing at only 0.3 percentage points.

The counting process has been interrupted twice due to technical issues, which election authorities described as "unacceptable." The National Electoral Council has appealed to citizens for patience, while security around the hotel where votes are being processed has been heightened.

Election officials expressed frustration after the counting was halted again for several hours on Wednesday. Ana Paola Hall, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), attributed the interruption to a private company responsible for tabulating the results, stating that the firm performed maintenance without prior coordination or approval from the CNE. This stoppage followed a crash of the real-time results portal the day before, adding to the tension surrounding this election.

Initial reports from the CNE on Monday indicated that Asfura was in the lead. The 67-year-old National Party candidate, endorsed by President Trump, has drawn attention because of Trump's warning to potentially cut aid to Honduras if Asfura loses. Later on Monday, when the CNE reported that 72-year-old Nasralla had overtaken Asfura by about 500 votes, Trump claimed the election was being manipulated, without presenting evidence of fraud.

By early Thursday, Asfura regained a slight lead, but the final outcome is still far from decided. Both candidates have expressed confidence in their chances, relying on internal party projections as the vote count continues to fluctuate.

Author: Natalie Monroe