US President Donald Trump has made a surprise move in Honduran politics just days before the country's presidential election. In a social media post, he announced his intention to pardon ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Hernandez, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was accused by US prosecutors of facilitating the import of hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. His pardon comes just days before Sunday's presidential election, in which Hernandez's right-wing party candidate, Nasry Asfura, is competing against leftist lawyer Rixi Moncada and fellow right-wing TV host Salvador Nasralla.
Trump's move has been met with criticism from the ruling party, who claim that it amounts to interference in the election. The president had earlier endorsed Asfura but his latest comments went further, threatening to cut US aid to Honduras if she does not win. Trump said that if Hernandez's preferred candidate loses, "the United States will not be throwing good money after bad".
The ruling party has accused Trump of trying to sway the election in favor of his preferred candidate, and Hernandez himself has denied any links to Asfura despite being her party ally. The Honduran presidential election is set to take place on Sunday, with a three-way contest between Asfura, Moncada, and Nasralla.
The pardoning of Hernandez comes as US President Donald Trump continues to make interventions in the politics of other countries, following his earlier comments about Argentina's election last month.
Hernandez, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was accused by US prosecutors of facilitating the import of hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. His pardon comes just days before Sunday's presidential election, in which Hernandez's right-wing party candidate, Nasry Asfura, is competing against leftist lawyer Rixi Moncada and fellow right-wing TV host Salvador Nasralla.
Trump's move has been met with criticism from the ruling party, who claim that it amounts to interference in the election. The president had earlier endorsed Asfura but his latest comments went further, threatening to cut US aid to Honduras if she does not win. Trump said that if Hernandez's preferred candidate loses, "the United States will not be throwing good money after bad".
The ruling party has accused Trump of trying to sway the election in favor of his preferred candidate, and Hernandez himself has denied any links to Asfura despite being her party ally. The Honduran presidential election is set to take place on Sunday, with a three-way contest between Asfura, Moncada, and Nasralla.
The pardoning of Hernandez comes as US President Donald Trump continues to make interventions in the politics of other countries, following his earlier comments about Argentina's election last month.
This is so concerning... I mean, come on, just days before an election? It's like he's trying to pull strings from behind the scenes. I get that he likes Asfura and all, but does he really have to go this far? Threatening to cut aid if she loses? That's some serious pressure right there.
. He's basically putting his thumb on the scale for his favorite candidate Asfura, and it's not exactly what you'd call fair play 
. I mean, Hernandez was convicted of serious drug trafficking charges and now he gets a free pass? It don't sit right with me, especially coming from someone who's always going on about how important the rule of law is 
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. The US can give aid or take it away depending on how they vote, but at the end of the day, it's up to the Hondurans to decide who should be their president 
. Trump needs to chill out and let them figure it out for themselves – we don't need some outside influence messing with our democracy 
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. and now the ruling party is all upset because they feel like trump is trying to rig the game for his buddy asfura... meanwhile, moncada and nasralla are just trying to run their campaigns without some billionaire in the shadows pulling the strings 
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. Newsflash, Mr Trump: you can't just buy votes or bully politicians into doing what you want! 
seems like trump is just trying to flex his muscles in latin america politics... but are we really buying it? 
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. I mean, come on, who needs fair elections when you've got a pardon from a former US President? It's like he's trying to influence the outcome or something 
. I'm definitely not surprised, though - politics these days are all about backroom deals and favors 
just saw that trump is pardoning a dude who was convicted of drug trafficking... what a joke! like, how low can he go? 
and it's not just about Honduras, there will be others who'll follow suit 
what's next? him showing up at the polls himself? voting for his buddies? 
and making things way worse than they already are. plus it's just plain weird how he's trying to cut off aid if his guy loses... like what's next? 
anyway i hope the honduran ppl can figure out whats going on and vote wisely on sunday 
It's also interesting that Trump is using his platform to encourage Asfura, someone who might bring a different perspective to the presidency. Who knows what good could come of that? 
. I wonder if cats can learn how to vote or something...