US President Donald Trump has used his pardon power to free former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking, from prison. The move came at a time when Honduras is on the brink of an election that could see Trump's preferred candidate, Nasry "Tito" Asfura, take office.
Hernández had been serving a 45-year sentence for allegedly creating a cocaine superhighway to the US, but his pardon was announced just as the country was waiting anxiously for the results of its presidential election. With nearly all votes counted, Asfura is currently ahead of Salvador Nasralla in the run-off between the two candidates.
The pardon has been seen by many as an attempt by Trump to exert pressure on the Honduran government and influence the outcome of the election. The US president has a history of using his pardoning power to reward allies and punish opponents, and some have questioned why he chose to intervene in Honduras' electoral process at this time.
In October, Trump announced a $40bn bailout for Argentina's economy conditional on the victory of the far-right candidate Javier Milei. Similarly, the US president has used his influence to try to sway the election in Honduras' favour.
Critics have accused Trump of using his power to interfere in the electoral process and undermine the legitimacy of the Honduran government. For many Hondurans, the delay in announcing the results of the election has revived traumatic memories of a previous election that was marred by violence and controversy.
The official results are expected to be announced within 30 days, but some experts fear that they could take weeks or even months to finalize. As the situation unfolds, there is growing concern that the outcome of the election will have far-reaching implications for the country's stability and democracy.
Hernández had been serving a 45-year sentence for allegedly creating a cocaine superhighway to the US, but his pardon was announced just as the country was waiting anxiously for the results of its presidential election. With nearly all votes counted, Asfura is currently ahead of Salvador Nasralla in the run-off between the two candidates.
The pardon has been seen by many as an attempt by Trump to exert pressure on the Honduran government and influence the outcome of the election. The US president has a history of using his pardoning power to reward allies and punish opponents, and some have questioned why he chose to intervene in Honduras' electoral process at this time.
In October, Trump announced a $40bn bailout for Argentina's economy conditional on the victory of the far-right candidate Javier Milei. Similarly, the US president has used his influence to try to sway the election in Honduras' favour.
Critics have accused Trump of using his power to interfere in the electoral process and undermine the legitimacy of the Honduran government. For many Hondurans, the delay in announcing the results of the election has revived traumatic memories of a previous election that was marred by violence and controversy.
The official results are expected to be announced within 30 days, but some experts fear that they could take weeks or even months to finalize. As the situation unfolds, there is growing concern that the outcome of the election will have far-reaching implications for the country's stability and democracy.
... I mean, what's up with Trump trying to influence Honduras' election like that? It feels like he's just using his power to play puppet master or something. And now Hernández is free? Like, what does that even accomplish at this point? Just another example of how politicians think they can manipulate the system to get what they want... and honestly, it just makes me so frustrated 
. Can't we just have fair and peaceful elections for once?! 
Trump just used his pardon power to free Hernández from prison like he's some kinda superhero. I mean, come on, 45 years is a pretty long sentence if you ask me... back in my day, we didn't get pardons for things like that over night. It feels like he's trying to influence the election results or something. I remember when Bush Sr. did something similar in Panama and it just caused a whole lot of trouble. What's next? 
But nope, he's gotta stick his neck out one last time 
And let me tell you, it's getting messy. The Hondurans are already feeling the heat from this delay and uncertainty. I mean, can you blame them? They're worried sick about their democracy being undermined... It's a slippery slope, if you ask me 
Not to mention the potential for more controversy down the line 
The only thing that's clear is that Trump wants to leave his mark on Honduras before he's gone... But at what cost? 
The optics are bad, too - Hernandez has been serving his time for 45 years and now Trump is just waving a magic wand to get him out? It's all about Trump's own interests, not Honduras' future 
. It's also super concerning for the stability of the country and its people - if Trump is influencing the election like this, what else is at stake? The fact that they're still waiting for the results to be finalized after all these years is just a red flag 
. This whole situation needs to be kept under close scrutiny 
.
the timing of this pardon seems so fishy and it's like trump is trying to pull some strings behind the scenes 
in the first place... 45 year sentence for drug trafficking and he just gets a free pass? 
.
Trump just used his pardon power to free juan orlando hernandez from prison like 2 months before elections & now people r questioning if its a way for trump 2 influence the outcome lol what a move by the ex pres 
especially with honduras on the brink of an election that could see him install another pup like asfura 
at the same time, it's hard not to wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye 
i mean, 45 years in prison for something that could've easily been handled through diplomacy? 
it just feels like trump's trying to exert some kinda control over the situation and it's really concerning 
. The fact that Trump waited until just before the results were announced seems like a pretty bold move...and we all know how he operates 
What if the results don't go in his favor? Is he gonna bail on Honduras like that too? 
It's not right, but I guess that's just how it goes when you're all about playing hardball and pushing your agenda. 
and now it's all about influencing Honduras' election 
? It's kinda fishy how he only did this now when his guy Asfura is running for office 