Honduras Votes: A Close Call and a Controversial Release

In Honduras, the presidential election is still too close to call. Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla are neck and neck. The count is happening by hand now. This is after a vote that saw a lot of interest from the U. S. Meanwhile, former President Juan Orlando Hernandez was let out of a U. S. prison. He was serving time for serious crimes. His release came right after U. S. President Donald Trump asked Hondurans to vote for Asfura. Trump also said he would pardon Hernandez. Early results show Asfura and Nasralla each have about 40% of the vote. Asfura is just 515 votes ahead. Rixi Moncada is in third place with 19%. The election body says it's a "technical tie. " They are asking everyone to stay calm while they check the votes by hand. Trump made some strong statements on social media. He said, without proof, that Honduras might try to change the election results. He warned there would be trouble if they did. He also said a lot of people voted on November 30th. The election had a lot of voters, and it was mostly peaceful. The Organization of American States said so. But they also noted some problems in a few places. There are worries that if the count takes too long, things could get heated. On Monday, the website showing results kept crashing. This made people even more frustrated. Moncada said the election isn't over yet. She accused the other parties of cheating. She also spoke out against U. S. involvement in the election. Before the vote, Trump backed Asfura. He said he could work with him to fight drug trafficking. He also called Moncada a "communist. "