Hondurans began voting early on Sunday in a crucial election. The vote comes amid threats from former US President Donald Trump to stop aid to Honduras if his favorite candidate loses. The country may soon swing right after years of leftwing rule. Three candidates are in a close race to succeed President Xiomara Castro. They are Nasry “Tito” Asfura, Trump’s pick from the rightwing National Party; Rixi Moncada from the ruling Libre party; and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal party. Polls opened at 7:00 am local time and will stay open for 10 hours. Early results are expected on Sunday. Trump declared on his Truth Social account, “If he [Asfura] doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad,” linking US aid to Asfura's victory. This is similar to his earlier threats during Argentina’s elections. In a surprising move on Friday, Trump said he will pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. Hernandez is serving 45 years in a US prison for cocaine trafficking and related crimes. Trump said Hernandez was “treated very harshly and unfairly,” without further details. Hernandez was convicted of turning Honduras into a "narco state" while leading the country from 2014 to 2022. Some Hondurans support Trump’s actions, hoping this may ease migration rules. However, many oppose his interference. Since Trump returned to office, nearly 30,000 Hondurans have been deported from the US, damaging a nation reliant on remittances which made up 27% of its GDP last year. Rixi Moncada calls the election a fight between a “coup-plotting oligarchy” linked to the 2009 military ouster of former President Zelaya, and democratic socialism. Salvador Nasralla, originally allied with Castro, has shifted right. Asfura was a businessman and mayor of the capital, Tegucigalpa. Preemptive fraud claims from both sides have increased fears of unrest. National Electoral Council President Ana Paola Hall urged all parties not to incite violence or confrontation. Asfura distanced himself from Hernandez, saying, “I have no ties [with Hernandez] … the party is not responsible for his personal actions.”