Tense Presidential Vote in Honduras Remains Too Close to Call A tight and tense presidential election in Honduras remains unresolved four days after polls closed, with the count delayed by technical problems and international attention focused on the narrow race. With over 80 percent of ballots tallied, centrist candidate Salvador Nasralla holds a razor-thin lead over his conservative rival, Nasry Asfura. Nasralla, of the Liberal Party, has 40.23 percent of the vote, while Asfura of the National Party has 39.69 percent—a difference of less than 14,000 votes. Rixi Moncada of the ruling leftist LIBRE party trails in a distant third. The country's National Electoral Council (CNE) has stated the result is still too early to call. The presidency is decided in a single round, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of margin. The vote count has been marred by repeated technical failures with the tabulation platform. The CNE suspended counting for a second time on Wednesday, with officials blaming system maintenance done without proper notice. One CNE member called the disruption "inexcusable." Ballots are still arriving from remote areas of the country, some accessible only by donkey or boat, and the CNE legally has one month to announce a winner. International observers from the European Union and the Organization of American States have called for calm and patience. The election has drawn significant attention due to the involvement of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has publicly backed Nasry Asfura. On Monday, Trump alleged election fraud without providing evidence, threatening on social media that there would be "hell to pay" if results were changed and vowing to cut off U.S. aid to Honduras if Asfura does not win. In a related development perceived as political interference, Trump recently granted a pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a member of Asfura's National Party who was serving a 45-year prison sentence in the U.S. for drug trafficking. Hernández was released on Monday and has publicly thanked Trump, claiming he suffered "political persecution." Rixi Moncada, the third-place candidate, criticized the vote transmission system as flawed and lacking transparency. She also condemned Trump's accusations of fraud as a "direct intervention" that harms Honduran interests. Despite the counting delays and controversies, frontrunner Salvador Nasralla expressed confidence. "Either way, we're going to win," he stated on social media. The nation now waits as electoral authorities work to process the remaining votes and determine a final result.