Hondurans begin presidential vote overshadowed by Trump threat

Mexico City [Mexico], December 1: Hondurans began voting for a new president on Sunday under the shadow of a threat from US President Donald Trump to cut aid to the country if voters didn't pick the right-wing candidate.
A few days before the vote, Trump urged support for opposition candidate Nasry "Tito" Asfura of the National Party to fight "narco-communism." "If he doesn't win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country," Trump posted on his platform Truth Social on Friday.
Around 6.5 million citizens are eligible to choose a successor to left-wing President Xiomara Castro. "The Honduran people will head to the polls despite adverse circumstances," said government candidate Rixi Moncada of the Libre party as she cast her ballot after a tense election campaign.
The three front-runners among the five candidates are former finance and defence minister Moncada, former Tegucigalpa mayor Asfura and conservative television host and former vice president Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. The political climate is tense, with government and opposition figures accusing each other of seeking to manipulate the results. In 2017 protests over alleged electoral fraud left more than 20 people dead.
Voters are also choosing a new parliament and local authorities.
Poverty, drug violence and corruption are among the country's main problems. Polling stations are open from 7 am to 5 pm (1300-2300 GMT).
Source: Qatar Tribune