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Nasry Asfura

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Asfura and the second or maternal family name is Zablah.

Nasry Asfura
Asfura in 2020
President-elect of Honduras
Assuming office
27 January 2026
Vice PresidentAntonieta Mejía
Carlos Flores
Diana Herrera
SucceedingXiomara Castro
President of the National Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 May 2025
Preceded byDavid Chávez
Mayor of Tegucigalpa
In office
25 January 2014 – 25 January 2022
Vice MayorJuan García
Preceded byRicardo Álvarez Arias
Succeeded byJorge Aldana [es]
Member of the
National Congress of Honduras
for Francisco Morazán
In office
25 January 2010 – 25 January 2014
Personal details
BornNasry Juan Asfura Zablah
(1958-06-08) 8 June 1958 (age 67)
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
PartyNational
SpouseLissette del Cid
Children3
Residence(s)Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Alma materInstituto San Francisco [es]

Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah[a] (born 8 June 1958), also known as Tito Asfura, is a Honduran businessman and politician who is the president-elect of Honduras, assuming office in January 2026. A member of the National Party of Honduras (PNH), he served as the mayor of Tegucigalpa from 2014 to 2022.[1][2]

A construction industry magnate, he previously served as a deputy in the National Congress of Honduras, representing the Francisco Morazán department from 2010 to 2014. Asfura ran in the 2021 presidential election, losing to Xiomara Castro of the Liberty and Refoundation party. After becoming the PNH's party president, he ran and won the 2025 presidential election, narrowly defeating Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. During the campaign, he notably received an endorsement from U.S. president Donald Trump.[3]

Early life and career

Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah was born on 8 June 1958 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He is the grandson of Christian Palestinian immigrants.[4] He graduated from high school at the San Francisco Institute and studied civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, but quit his course to instead pursue a career in the construction industry.

He first became involved in politics in entered into public life in the 1990s.[citation needed] Between 1990 and 1994, Asfura served as a municipal prosecutor's assistant in the capital and as an assistant to Mayor Nora Gúnera de Melgar. From 1994 to 1998, he served as the public services manager. He was also a member of the administration of the mayor of the capital, César Castellanos Madrid, in 1998, and of his wife, Vilma Reyes, from 1998 to 2002.

He participated in the PNH's internal elections in February 2005 as a pre-candidate for mayor of the Central District, but was defeated by Ricardo Álvarez. During those elections, he used the phrase Papi a la orden! (Daddy at your service!) in campaign ads, which became his nickname. Álvarez became mayor of the capital in the general elections that year, and Asfura became a councilman in his administration. He was elected deputy for the Department of Francisco Morazán in the 2009 elections, but was later appointed director of the Honduran Social Investment Fund, a position he held until September 2011.

Political career

He ran in the 2009 general election and was elected as a member of the country's National Congress, representing the department of Francisco Morazán. He served in that position from 2010 to 2014, when he left to serve as mayor of Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa. During his tenure as mayor, Asfura became known for his road infrastructure projects.[5] He would continue in the position until 2022. In May 2025, Asfura became the National Party's president, succeeding David Chávez.

2021 presidential campaign

Main article: 2021 Honduran general election

Asfura was chosen as the 2021 presidential candidate for the incumbent National Party.[6][7] He defeated Mauricio Oliva in the party's primary election. At the beginning of the campaign, polls indicated a tight race between Asfura and his left-wing opponent, Xiomara Castro, the leader of LIBRE and the wife of the former president Manuel Zelaya, but she went on to win the election by a comfortable margin.[8][9]

2025 presidential campaign

Main article: 2025 Honduran general election

Asfura was once again nominated by the National Party to be its candidate in the 2025 presidential election. He defeated Ana García Carías in the party's primary election. He was endorsed by United States president Donald Trump and Argentine president Javier Milei, with[10][11] Trump's administration pledging to reduce its foreign aid to Honduras if Asfura was not elected the country's president.[12] During the campaign, Asfura spent time in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate his alignment with the Trump administration's foreign policy.[10] He also pledged to bring "development and opportunities for everyone", to "facilitate foreign and domestic investment into the country", and "generate employment for all".[13][14]

Asfura won the election, obtaining 40.3% of the vote. The election results were marred by delays, with opposition candidates Salvador Nasralla and Rixi Moncada criticizing the vote counting process.[15] Under his leadership, the PNH won a plurality in the country's National Congress, obtaining 49 seats and 34.51% of the vote.

Presidency (incoming 2026)

Corruption allegations

In 2020, Asfura was indicted by the Honduran authorities on charges of embezzling public funds, money laundering, fraud, and abuse of authority. He and co-defendant, Nilvia Ethel Castillo Cruz, were accused of misappropriating more than 28 million lempiras for their personal benefit[16][17][18]. In 2021, the judiciary seized nine real estate properties and three businesses belonging to Asfura, Cruz, and associates,[19] of which six properties (valued at a total 28.5 million lempiras) were ordered to be returned to their owners following a ruling against the government department Unidad Fiscal Especializada Contra Redes de Corrupción (UFERCO) on 25 September 2023, by the Juzgado de Letras de Privación de Dominio de Bienes de Origen Ilícitoin Asfura. UFERCO appealed the charges, but was unsuccessful, and the assets were returned[20]. The case continued until 15 December 2025, when the Supreme Court fully annulled all charges against Asfura and Cruz.[21]

In early October 2021, while the aforementioned legal case was ongoing, Asfura was named in the Pandora Papers.[22]

Personal life

Asfura is married to Lissette del Cid and has three children.[23]

Notes

  1. ^ Arabic: نصري خوان عصفورة زبلح

References

  1. ^ "'Mi Victoria es por trabajo': Nasry 'Tito' Asfura". es. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Nasry Asfura virtual ganador de la alcaldía capitalina". Proceso Digital. 24 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  3. ^ Gonzalez, Marlon; Janetsky, Megan (24 December 2025). "Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras' presidential vote". Associated Press. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  4. ^ González, Anabella (24 December 2025). "¿Quién es y qué propone Nasry Asfura, el empresario y exalcalde declarado ganador de la elección presidencial en Honduras?". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  5. ^ "64% de capitalinos satisfechos con inversión de AMDC". El Heraldo. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  6. ^ Palencia, Gustavo (26 November 2021). "Honduran ruling party hopeful Asfura faces uphill climb". Reuters. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  7. ^ Lopez, Oscar (28 November 2021). "What's at Stake in the Honduran Presidential Election?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  8. ^ "'She's the only option': Hondurans hope Xiomara Castro can lead the nation in a new direction". the Guardian. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  9. ^ García, Jacobo (28 November 2021). "Los modelos antagónicos de Xiomara Castro y Asfura se enfrentan en las urnas de Honduras". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Trump Endorsement Roils Already Tense Election in Honduras". New York Times. 28 November 2025. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Javier Milei expresó su respaldo al opositor hondureño Tito Asfura" [Javier Milei expressed his support for the Honduran opponent Tito Asfura]. La Opinión Austral (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  12. ^ Perea, Fran Ruiz (30 November 2025). "Honduras celebra elecciones presidenciales con la sombra de la injerencia de Trump". La Crónica de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Hondurans vote in election shadowed by Trump aid threats". BBC. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Trump threats dominate as Hondurans vote for president". France 24. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura wins Honduras presidential election". BBC. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Sala Penal ordena anular acciones penales contra Nasry 'Tito' Asfura". Diario El Heraldo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Aseguran bienes del alcalde Nasry Asfura". La Prensa. March 24, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ordenan asegurar bienes del alcalde capitalino Nasry 'Tito' Asfura". El Heraldo. March 23, 2021.
  19. ^ "Aseguran nueve bienes y tres empresas al alcalde capitalino Nasry 'Tito' Asfura – Diario El Heraldo". Diario El Heraldo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Juzgado ordena devolver bienes asegurados a Nasry Asfura". La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Sala Penal ordena anular acciones penales contra Nasry 'Tito' Asfura". El Heraldo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  22. ^ Medina, Brenda; Escudero, Jesús; Díaz-Struck, Emilia (3 October 2021). "When Latin America's elite wanted to hide their wealth, they turned to this Panama firm". ICIJ. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  23. ^ "'At your service!' Nasry Asfura becomes Honduran president-elect". France 24. 25 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
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