Honduras’ election authorities pledged Tuesday to deliver a final presidential vote tally that reflects the “popular will,” following a sharp intervention from US President Donald Trump that has added tension to an already unsettled process.

The National Electoral Council urged citizens to remain patient as it works through the count from the November 30 vote. A preliminary electronic tally showed businessman Nasry Asfura narrowly ahead of rival Salvador Nasralla by just 515 votes, a margin the council described as a technical tie.

Trump, who endorsed Asfura before the results were finalized, accused Honduran officials of “trying to change” the outcome and warned of consequences. He offered no evidence. “Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their Presidential Election. If they do, there will be hell to pay!” he wrote on Truth Social.

The council later reported technical problems with the results portal and requested a full assessment of the issue. It said political parties and media outlets would have access to observe the process in real time and promised to release a final announcement within the legally mandated one-month period.

The vote marks a setback for the ruling left and signals a possible shift toward the right, a direction likely to strengthen Washington’s influence after years of growing engagement with China. Nasralla told reporters he was confident about his chances despite Trump’s backing of his opponent, saying he had seen figures that put him ahead, though he clarified he was not declaring victory.

Trump’s involvement has loomed over the campaign, particularly after his unexpected pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who served alongside Asfura in the Partido Nacional de Honduras.

Hernández had been convicted in the United States for helping to smuggle hundreds of tons of cocaine and was serving a 45-year sentence before his release on Tuesday. His pardon drew bipartisan criticism in the US, with lawmakers questioning why Trump would free Hernández while continuing aggressive operations against alleged drug traffickers elsewhere in the region.

Ana García de Hernández, the former president’s wife, said his release was “a day we will never forget,” thanking Trump for the pardon. Trump has argued Hernández was treated unfairly by prosecutors under former President Joe Biden, a claim echoed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who described the case as politically motivated.

The upheaval comes as Honduras continues to grapple with poverty, gang violence and migration pressures. Many Hondurans who sought safety or opportunity in the United States have been deported since Trump took office for a second term in January, a policy shift that has hit families hard in a country where remittances made up 27 percent of GDP last year.

As the electoral council works to complete the vote count, the country remains on edge, caught between domestic uncertainty and the weight of outside pressure.