So far, leftist candidate Moncada leads in voting intentions, followed by U.S.-backed Asfura and conservative Nasralla.

On Thursday, President Xiomara Castro urged Hondurans to head joyfully to the polls on Sunday to elect in a single round the country’s next president for the 2026–2030 term.

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“Feel confident that this Nov. 30 we are heading into a civic celebration: the election for a new government that will assume the country’s leadership for four years. May peace reign in the hearts of all Hondurans,” she said.

The Honduran president also praised the work carried out by the Armed Forces in protecting and transporting all election materials to polling stations across the country’s 18 departments.

“We are going to take part in the only democratic space that has been allowed to us so far, which is exercising our vote freely, peacefully and transparently,” she said.

On Sunday, more than 6.5 million Honduran citizens will also elect 298 mayors, 128 legislators and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament.

 According to the latest polling, the presidential candidates with the strongest chances of winning are Rixi Moncada of the Libre party, Nasry Asfura of the National Party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.

Rixi Moncada Represents the Honduran left

Born in Talanga in 1965, Moncada is an attorney with a long career in public administration, where she has served as minister of Labor, Finance and Defense. As a lawyer, she has worked in the courts and as an adviser to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, among other positions.

Before studying law at the University of Salamanca in Spain, she graduated as an education teacher, a profession she has also practiced at the primary and university levels.

During Manuel Zelaya’s administration (2006–2009), Moncada served as general manager of the National Electric Energy Company. In 2011, she was among the founders of the Freedom and Refoundation (Free) party, coordinated by former President Manuel Zelaya, husband and adviser to Xiomara Castro.

Moncada proposes an active state to correct market failures and reduce inequality under the concept of “democratizing the economy,” including low-interest loans, green industrial policy, investment in science and technology, and reforms to promote competition.

Nasry Asfura is the U.S.-Backed Candidate

Nasry Asfura is “the only true friend of freedom in Honduras,” wrote U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that they could “work together to fight the narco-communists” and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Asfura, also known as “Daddy at Your Service” (Papi a la orden),  a phrase he uses to greet supporters, is seeking the presidency for the second time under the conservative National Party’s banner.

The son of parents of Palestinian origin, Asfura was born in 1958 in Tegucigalpa, where he served as mayor for two consecutive terms (2014–2022). After graduating from a Catholic high school, he began studying engineering but soon realized he was drawn to the construction industry, where he has spent most of his life.

Asfura seeks to return the National Party to power after three consecutive terms from 2010 to 2022, a period marred by multiple corruption and drug-trafficking allegations. He proposes achieving fiscal stability, strengthening the agricultural sector, improving connectivity and prioritizing projects with immediate impact on the local economy.

Salvador Nasralla Tries Again

The candidate of the conservative Liberal Party is making his fourth consecutive bid for the Honduran presidency. He has positioned himself as an anti-corruption figure, gaining many supporters since first running in the 2013 elections.

Born in 1953, this civil engineer became a well-known television presenter on a sports program he has hosted for more than four decades. He has also worked as master of ceremonies for beauty pageants and other social events.

He entered politics around 2011 when he founded the Anti-Corruption Party (PAC), running for president in 2013. He later created the Savior of Honduras Party (PSH), arguing that former President Juan Orlando Hernandez “stole” his first party.

Nasralla also failed in the 2017 presidential race. In his third attempt, in 2021, he ultimately formed an alliance with the ruling Free Party to remove the “narco-dictatorship” of Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was extradited to the United States in 2022 and sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Nasralla served as one of Honduras’ three vice presidents until April 2024, when he resigned over clashes with Castro and her husband, former President Manuel Zelaya. After leaving government, Nasralla joined the fractured Liberal Party, which he aims to return to power after 16 years out of office.

His platform includes attracting foreign investments, generating jobs, combating corruption, reducing bureaucracy, modernizing infrastructure, and supporting small and medium-sized businesses to boost the country’s competitiveness.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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