Nasry Asfura
Asfura in 2017
Mayor of Tegucigalpa
In office
25 January 2014 – 25 January 2022
Vice MayorJuan García
Preceded byRicardo Álvarez Arias
Succeeded byJorge Aldana
Member of the National Congress of Honduras
In office
25 January 2010 – 25 January 2014
ConstituencyFrancisco Morazán Department
Personal details
Born
Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah

(1958-06-08) 8 June 1958 (age 65)
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Political partyNational Party
SpouseLissette del Cid
Children3
Residence(s)Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Alma materInstituto San Francisco [es]

Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah (born 8 June 1958), also known as Tito Asfura, is a Honduran politician. He served as a deputy of the National Congress of Honduras representing the Francisco Morazán department on behalf of the National Party,[1] and served as the mayor of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, from 2014 until 2022.[2][3] He was succeeded as mayor by Jorge Aldana.[4]

Asfura was included in the 2020 Sachamama list of the 100 most influential Latinos, a list that several international organizations have endorsed.[5]

Early life

Asfura was born to Palestinians who immigrated to Central America during the Arab-Israeli conflict in the 1940s. He studied civil engineering at university but quit his course before being awarded his degree in order to embark on a career in the construction industry. His entry into public life came in the 1990s.

Corruption allegations

In 2020, Asfura was indicted by the Honduran authorities on charges of embezzling public funds and money laundering. He was accused of misappropriating more than 28 million lempiras for his personal benefit. The judiciary seized nine real estate properties and three businesses belonging to him.[6] However, all the charges against him were dismissed.[7]

In early October 2021, Asfura was listed in the Pandora Papers.[8]

2021 Honduran presidential campaign

Main article: 2021 Honduran general election

Asfura was chosen as the 2021 presidential candidate for the incumbent National Party.[9][10] 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.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ https://buscatucandidato.com/2012/m/cons/cand.php?i=13[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "'Mi Victoria es por trabajo': Nasry 'Tito' Asfura". Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Jorge Aldana asume el reto más importante de su vida: alcaldía de Tegucigalpa". Iconos Mag (in Spanish). 25 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Sachamama elevating Latino leadership 2020".
  6. ^ "Aseguran nueve bienes y tres empresas al alcalde capitalino Nasry 'Tito' Asfura".
  7. ^ "Sala Penal ordena anular acciones penales contra Nasry 'Tito' Asfura". Diario El Heraldo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Palencia, Gustavo (26 November 2021). "Honduran ruling party hopeful Asfura faces uphill climb". Reuters. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "'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.
  12. ^ 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.
Political offices Preceded byRicardo Álvarez Arias Mayor of Tegucigalpa 2014–2022 Succeeded byJorge Aldana Party political offices Preceded byJuan Orlando Hernández National Party nominee for President of Honduras 2021 Most recent
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