Ex-president Zelaya accuses Trump of meddling in Honduras' elections

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on Tuesday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of "foreign interference" in Honduras' presidential elections, after Trump publicly backed the conservative National Party's candidate and pardoned another former president from the same party.

Zelaya, who serves as the general coordinator of the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre), questioned the early release from a U.S. prison of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had served just two years of a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking.

According to preliminary results from the National Electoral Council, the election remains virtually tied between the two right-of-center candidates: Nasry Asfura of the National Party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. Zelaya alleged that Trump's actions aimed to "twist the popular will."

Zelaya's remarks came amid post-election tensions, which were further highlighted by Hernandez's release, as the preliminary vote count from Sunday's elections in the Central American country continued.

Trump announced last week on social media that he intended to grant the pardon to Hernandez, arguing that the Biden administration had "set a trap" for the former Honduran president. Trump also voiced support for the National Party candidate.

Hernandez, a major figure in Honduras's National Party, served as Honduran president for two consecutive terms from 2014 to 2022. Less than a month after leaving office in 2022, he was arrested and extradited to the United States. ■