Trump says Honduras 'trying to change' election outcome

WASHINGTON

Donald Trump accused election officials in Honduras on Dec. 1 of "trying to change" their presidential election outcome, as a partial digital tally revealed the two frontrunners are locked in a "technical tie."

The National Electoral Council (CNE) has called for "patience" as it starts a manual count of the Nov. 30 vote, in one of Latin America's most impoverished and violent countries.

Trump-backed Nasry Asfura, 67, led 72-year-old rival Salvador Nasralla by just 515 votes, making it a "technical tie," CNE head Ana Paola Hall said on social media, although the race is too close to call after a preliminary count.

"Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their Presidential Election. If they do, there will be hell to pay!" Trump claimed on social media without providing proof of his accusation.

Trump has become increasingly vocal about his support for allies in the region, previously threatening to cut aid to Argentina and Honduras if his picks did not win.

Ally Javier Milei was victorious in Argentina's mid-term elections.

Days before the Honduras vote, former Tegucigalpa mayor Asfura won the Republican leader's backing, as the U.S. president sought to put his finger on the scale in yet another Latin American election.

Nasralla told reporters on Dec. 1 that despite Trump's endorsement of his rival, he was confident the election would swing in his favor.

"I know I've already won. This morning, they sent me a figure that puts me ahead," he told reporters about the preliminary count.

The election is a clear defeat for ruling leftists trailing far behind in the vote count.

A swing to the right could help build U.S. influence in a country that under leftist government had increasingly looked to China.