In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Asfuraand the second or maternal family name is Zablah.
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Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah[a] (born 8 June 1958), also known as Tito Asfura, is a Honduran construction businessman as well as politician who is the president-elect of Honduras, assuming office on 27 January 2026. As member of the National Party of Honduras (PNH), he served as the mayor of Tegucigalpa from 2014 to 2022.[1][2]
Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah was born on 8 June 1958 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the son of Nasry Juan Asfura and Gloria Zablah de Asfura.[4][5] His mother Gloria died in 2019, while his father Nasry died before 2015.[5][6] He is the grandson of Christian Palestinian immigrants.[7] His family nicknamed him affectionately "Tito" from "Nasryto".[8]
He first became involved in politics and entered into public life in the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1994 Asfura served as a municipal tax assistant in the capital, and as an assistant to Mayor Nora Gúnera de Melgar.[11] He was also a member of the administration of the mayors César Castellanos Madrid and Vilma Reyes.[5][8]
In 2005 Asfura participated in the PNH's internal elections as a pre-candidate for mayor of the Central District, but was defeated by Ricardo Álvarez.[12] During those elections, he ended an impromptu radio announcement with the phrase that slipped out of his mouth, "Papi a la orden!" (Daddy at your service!), which became his nickname.[5][8][13] Álvarez became mayor of the capital in the general elections that year, and Asfura became a councilman in his administration.[5]
Political career
Asfura with Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, in January 2017
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.[14] He would continue in the position until 2022. In May 2025, Asfura became the National Party's president, succeeding David Chávez.
Asfura was chosen as the 2021 presidential candidate for the incumbent National Party.[15][16] 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.[17][18]
Asfura prioritized upgrades to infrastructure and job creation. In addition, Asfura pledged support towards the business, health, education, and manufacturing sectors.[19]
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 StatesPresident Donald Trump and ArgentinePresident Javier Milei,[20][21] with Trump's administration pledging to reduce its foreign aid to Honduras if Asfura was not elected the country's president.[22] During the campaign, Asfura spent time in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate his alignment with the Trump administration's foreign policy.[20] He also pledged to bring "development and opportunities for everyone", to "facilitate foreign and domestic investment into the country", and "generate employment for all".[23][24]
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.[25] He became the most voted candidate in the history of the National Party.[8] 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)
Asfura is scheduled to be inaugurated as President of Honduras on 27 January 2026. María Antonieta Mejía, one of Asfura's elected vice presidents, reported on 26 December that Asfura will assume the presidency in a ceremony in National Congress, unlike the traditional inauguration at the National Stadium, stating that he wants a "symbolic and unostentatious" event to refrain from an event "that will have a large budget".[26] He will be the oldest president to take office.[8]
Controversies
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.[27][28][29] In 2021, the judiciary seized nine real estate properties and three businesses belonging to Asfura, Cruz, and associates.[30] Six of these 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.[31] The case continued until 15 December 2025, when the Supreme Court fully annulled all charges against Asfura and Cruz.[32][failed verification]
In early October 2021, while the aforementioned legal case was ongoing, Asfura was named in the Pandora Papers.[33]
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