Still no winner in Honduras after one week
Monday, December 8th 2025 – 10:49 UTC
Modernization reforms are badly needed for future elections
No candidate has yet been named the winner of Honduras’ presidential elections, one week after the polls, with vote counting halted several times due to glitches amid flipping leaders.
As it is, the vote count by the National Electoral Council (CNE) remains suspended, after the official scrutiny has been stalled since Friday, December 5, fueling public uncertainty, political confrontation, and allegations of irregularities in a razor-thin race.
The CNE confirmed the abrupt halt to the counting process at approximately 88.02% of ballots processed. CNE counselors Ana Paola Hall and Cossette López attributed the stoppage to technical problems related to the electoral system provided by the Colombian company (ASD). They insisted the issue was outside the control of the plenum and its technical team, emphasizing the CNE’s commitment to continuous disclosure.
The process has been further complicated by sharp disagreements among the three CNE counselors, each representing one of the country’s major political parties. The division was underscored by the absence of the Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) party’s counselor, Marlon Ochoa, from the CNE’s weekend press conference.
The preliminary results available before the halt reveal an extremely close contest for the presidency. The latest figures showed less than one percentage point between Nasry Tito Asfura of the National Party (1,132,321 votes; 40.19%) and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party (1,112,570 votes; 39.49%), followed by Rixi Moncada of the ruling Libre (543,675 votes; 19.30%).
The protracted delay and the minimal margin between Asfura and Nasralla have intensified political tensions, leading to widespread suspicion among citizens, parties, and international observers.
The leftist Libre party has formally requested the administrative annulment of the presidential vote formula, alleging irregularities linked to the Preliminary Election Results Transmission System (TREP).
The Organization of American States’ (OAS) Mission has urged the CNE to expedite the scrutiny process while ensuring traceability measures to guarantee the certainty of the results.
Electoral analysts have described the counting failures as a revelation of the fragility of the country’s system, calling for modernization reforms, including a runoff.
