Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández released from US prison after Donald Trump pardons him
Electoral workers have begun manually checking tally sheets, with candidates Nasry Asfura of the National Party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party still in a virtual tie.
Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday Nov. 1, 2021. Andy Buchanan/Pool via AP, File)
Honduras’ presidential election remained too close to call on Monday, even as former president Juan Orlando Hernández was released from a US prison after receiving a pardon from US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.
Electoral workers have begun manually checking tally sheets, with candidates Nasry Asfura of the National Party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party still in a virtual tie. According to preliminary figures, both had just under 40% of the vote, with Asfura ahead by only 515 votes. Rixi Moncada of the ruling LIBRE Party was trailing in third place with 19%.
Ana Paola Hall, head of the electoral authority, urged citizens to “remain calm and patient” as officials entered the slower, manual phase of counting. The early results were based on tallies sent digitally from polling stations across the country.
Who is Juan Orlando Hernández?
Hernández governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022. He was arrested shortly after leaving office and later sentenced in the United States to 45 years on drug trafficking and firearms charges.
On Monday, he was freed from a prison in West Virginia. A Federal Bureau of Prisons record confirmed his release. He has always claimed he was wrongfully convicted.
A White House official told Reuters that Trump had granted him a presidential pardon. Earlier, Hernández’s wife, Ana García, said her husband had “returned to being a free man, thanks to the presidential pardon granted by President Donald Trump.”
Trump’s role in the election
Trump has openly supported Asfura in the election, urging Hondurans to vote for him and saying he could work with the 67-year-old former Tegucigalpa mayor to address drug trafficking. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed without offering evidence that Honduras was “trying to change the results of their Presidential Election,” adding, “If they do there will be hell to pay!”
Supporters cheer for the ruling party presidential candidate Rixi Moncada at the party’s headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
The Organization of American States, which observed the vote, said polling was peaceful with only “isolated incidents.” But concerns remain that delays in the count and technical issues could raise tensions. On Monday, an online portal meant to update results went offline for long periods, drawing criticism from local media.
Moncada, the LIBRE Party candidate, said the election was “still not lost” and accused rival parties of manipulating the process. She also criticised US involvement.
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Hernández was arrested shortly after leaving office and sentenced last June. He has long insisted that he was wrongfully convicted, Reuters said.
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Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday Nov. 1, 2021. Andy Buchanan/Pool via AP, File) 
