Trump-backed businessman Nasry Asfura sworn in as president of Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Trump-backed businessman Nasry Asfura was sworn in Tuesday as president of Honduras, and pledged to create jobs, crack down on crime and improve key social services like education and health care.

The 67-year-old president said he would lead the country "with the full commitment required to deliver real solutions to every corner of our beloved Honduras.”

The inauguration was held in an austere, simple ceremony at Congress without the presence of dignitaries from other nations, though representatives of various countries attended through the diplomatic corps and international organizations.

Asfura's rise to power was marked with controversy after U.S. President Donald Trump threw his support behind the Honduran conservative in the lead up to the election. Competitors called the elections fraudulent as vote counts dragged on for weeks and Asfura won by less than a 1% lead.

Honduran authorities said Asfura won with 40.27% of the vote, just ahead of conservative competitor Salvador Nasralla with 39.53%. Nasralla maintains he's the rightful president.

Asfura on Tuesday said he would shrink the size of the state to improve efficiency and direct resources to those most in need.

He pledged to “confront insecurity head-on" as gang violence continues to ravage the Central American nation, and said he would invest in health care and education. Asfura also emphasized the need to attract investment to generate jobs and to boost infrastructure so there is greater connectivity among municipalities.

Asfura served two terms as mayor of Tegucigalpa from 2014 to 2022. He previously served as secretary of the Honduran Social Investment Fund during the administration of Porfirio Lobo Sosa (2010–2014).

The new president won the presidency on his second attempt as the candidate of the conservative National Party, after losing in 2021 to former President Xiomara Castro of the leftist Liberty and Refoundation Party, known as Libre.

Asfura is from the same political party as former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was pardoned and freed from U.S. prison by Trump in the midst of the election. Hernández, who was extradited to the U.S. after leaving office in 2022, was serving a 45-year sentence for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the U.S.

The outcome of the complicated election is part of a broader shift to the right taking place in Latin America and came after Chile elected far-right politician José Antonio Kast as president.

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america