International Observers Sound Alarm Over U.S. Interference After Trump’s Endorsement in Honduras
https://globalexchange.org/honduraselectionobservationpressrelease/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2025
Media Contact:
Corina Nolet (U.S.-based press), [email protected]
Lucia Vijil (Honduras-based press), [email protected], +504-9724-6128
(Tegucigalpa, Honduras — November 28) – As the U.S. goes officially partisan, 47 Global Exchange observers from 13 countries arrive in Honduras to participate in an international electoral observation mission organized in alliance with the Honduran Center for Democracy Studies (CESPAD). Observers will be trained and present on November 30, when Hondurans elect their next president, 128 congressional seats, and authorities in 298 municipalities.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump escalated U.S. involvement by posting an election week endorsement of National Party candidate Tito Asfura, while attacking the other candidates — calling them “communists,” “narcoterrorists,” and “unreliable”– and urging Hondurans to vote for Asfura.
Trump’s irresponsible comments on the eve of Honduran elections make an already difficult political moment for Honduras that much harder, says Ted Lewis of Global Exchange, the U.S.-based pro-democracy organization that has joined CESPAD to lead the observation mission. “Trump’s declaration,” said Lewis, “is not just disrespectful of Honduran sovereignty and democratic dignity; it is part and parcel of a full-on return to gunboat diplomacy that includes a naval buildup and murderous, illegal attacks on civilian boats off the coasts of Colombia and Venezuela.”
A series of hostile ‘anti-communist’ communications from U.S. Congressional hearings, op-eds, and State Department posts is representative of Washington’s approach to these elections.
“These red-baiting messages synchronize with those of the very same forces in Honduras that supported the U.S.- and Canada-backed military coup in Honduras in 2009,” says Karen Spring of the Honduras Solidarity Network and coordinator of the international mission. “This election period has been marked by sharp polarization, fear-mongering, and sophisticated attempts to undermine confidence in the electoral process in order to oust a government that is seen as unfavorable to U.S. interests.”
The LIBRE party and its candidate, as well as those of the Liberal and Nationalist opposition parties, diverge on economic policy, on which international alliances to pursue, and on what the country’s development priorities should be.
In this polarized environment, Global Exchange reaffirms that, like CESPAD, our role is strictly to document electoral conditions, not to evaluate party platforms and certainly not to endorse any candidates. And we vehemently oppose any attempts by the U.S., Trump, or any other external actors to game these elections or undermine Honduran sovereignty.
CESPAD’s domestic observers and international allies, organized by Global Exchange, will travel widely across Honduras to conduct dawn-to-dusk observations of voting and monitoring of local conditions in several electorally sensitive areas and voting sites – continuously feeding reports to CESPAD headquarters in Tegucigalpa.
“We have a robust methodology, grounded in the law, which will allow us to observe—with evidence and direct channels with the electoral institutions—enabling us to address any inconsistencies. We respect the role of the electoral authority and are committed to ensuring that this process is legitimate,” says Lucía Vijil.
A press conference announcing the deployment of the International Observation Mission (Global Exchange, CESPAD, and the Youth Electoral Platform) will take place on Friday, November 28 at 10:00 a.m. at the Hotel Plaza San Martín (Audiencias Room).
The event will be streamed live at: https://www.facebook.com/CespadCentroDeEstudioParaLaDemocracia
If you want to speak with someone at the Tegucigalpa headquarters and/or an observer in the field, please reach out to the press contacts listed above.
