Voters in Tegucigalpa expressed their hope for change on Monday after a peaceful election day in which citizens turned out in large numbers to elect the next president of Honduras, amid a close contest between two conservative candidates.
Residents of the capital described Sunday's voting as calm and orderly, comparing it to a"civic celebration" with no major conflicts reported. The day proceeded normally as approximately 2.8 million of the 6 million eligible voters went to the polls.
“The elections were held calmly and peacefully. People went out to vote as if it were a civic celebration, and there were no conflicts,” Samuel Palma, a voter in Tegucigalpa, told Reuters. “Now we hope the new government will be productive for the people. Above all, we hope they will be honest and not start stealing like past governments did, and that they will focus on governing for the benefit of the people and minorities.”
The comments reflect the widespread desire of Hondurans for the next government to avoid the corruption they associate with previous administrations and focus on policies that benefit the common people.
Raúl Raudales, another voter, expressed optimism regardless of the final result. “We want things to improve in this country, no matter who wins. It could be Tito, it could be Salvador Nasralla. We want this country to move forward so there aren't so many criminals here, so they stop looting the public coffers, you know? What we want is for this country to move forward with Tito,” he declared, referring to the nickname of the conservative candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura.
The call to reduce crime and stop the plundering of public funds was a recurring theme among those interviewed. Reynaldo Soto was more critical of the outgoing government: “I hope things change because the situation we’ve experienced these past four years has been tough. It’s true, these people have only dedicated themselves to, well, they didn’t do anything in four years, so people expect this country to prosper.”
The elections took place against a backdrop of widespread discontent with the political class in Honduras, a country struggling with poverty, inequality, and high levels of violence. The high voter turnout and the peaceful nature of the day were highlighted by the United States, which is closely monitoring the process in the Central American country.
Monday's newspaper headlines reflected the previous night's preliminary results, with photographs of Asfura and headlines proclaiming his initial lead in the count, although the race remains tight with Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party following closely behind.
The election campaign was marked by the surprise endorsement of Asfura by US President Donald Trump, whom he described as “the only true friend of freedom in Honduras” and promised “a lot of support” if he won. This support came days before the election and coincided with the announcement of a future pardon for former president Juan Orlando Hernández, of the same National Party, who is serving a sentence for drug trafficking in the United States.
The National Electoral Council continues to process electoral records as the country awaits the final results of an election that will define the political course of Honduras for the next four years.
