Honduran President Xiomara Castro has ordered a transition to what she calls a “de facto” government after a contested election, citing over a million uncounted votes and alleged fraud.

Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro has formally begun a transition of power while refusing to legitimize the incoming administration, calling it a “de facto” government following a contested election where over a million votes went uncounted.

Security Minister, Gustavo Sanchez, Governance and Justice Minister, Tomas Vaquero, and the Director of Civil Service, Russel Garay, were ordered to “organize and proceed with the transition and handover of power to the de facto government declared by the National Electoral Council (CNE, in Spanish) and the Electoral Court of Justice (TJE, in Spanish).”

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The president reiterated that her administration “fulfilled its constitutional duty” by financing the November 30 elections and placed the Armed Forces “at the disposal of the electoral bodies.”

As on previous occasions, she assured that she would not remain in power “one day more, nor one day less”, thereby fulfilling her constitutional four-year term.

Text reads: “President Xiomara Castro reaffirmed that she will fulfill her constitutional mandate and ordered the transition of power to begin, following an election declaration by the National Electoral Council and the Electoral Court of Justice, which left more than a million votes unaccounted.”

The partial count -widely disputed after an election plagued by fraud evidence and U.S. interference-showed conservative National Party candidate Nasry Asfura, favored by Donald Trump, leading with 40.27% of the vote. He was followed by Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party at 39.53%, and Rixi Moncada of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) with 19.19%.

Castro and her party dispute the results, arguing that over one million ballots were not counted due to inconsistencies in electoral records still under review by the Electoral Court of Justice, which has until January 20 to deliver a definitive and unappealable report.

In response, the Parliament, led by its President Luis Redondo, approved a decree to conduct a new “vote-by-vote” recount, which was ratified and given legal force by the president.

On Wednesday, the Libre Party issued a statement declaring that the next government “is neither legal nor legitimate,” attributing the results to “the direct interference of the United States” and “the most scandalous fraud validated by the National Electoral Council and Electoral Court of Justice.”

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