Central America
Xiomara Castro becomes first woman president of Honduras
AFP
Leftist Xiomara Castro was sworn in Thursday as the first woman president of Honduras, vowing to reform the crime- and poverty-stricken nation into a “socialist and democratic state.”
Castro, 62, took the oath at a massive ceremony attended by international dignitaries after an embarrassing week of fighting within her party that challenged her authority.
In her first official address at the Tegucigalpa National Stadium, Castro denounced “the social and economic tragedy confronting Honduras” and promised to make work of improving education, healthcare, security and employment.
She said she was inheriting a “bankrupt” country which she intended to reshape into a “socialist and democratic state.”
Honduras’s public debt is about $17 billion.
The oath was sworn before Judge Karla Romero, flanked by Castro’s choice of Congress president, Luis Redondo, who draped the presidential sash over his new boss before a crowd of about 29,000.
The guests included US Vice President Kamala Harris, King Felipe VI of Spain and Taiwan Vice President William Lai.
– ’12 years of struggle’ –
Castro’s election last November brought an end to 12 years of right-wing National Party (PN) rule that followed the ousting of her husband Manuel Zelaya as president in a 2009 coup.
“Twelve years of struggle, 12 years of resistance. Today the people’s government begins,” Castro said on Twitter Thursday.
But the lead-up to the swearing-in was marred by a disruptive rivalry within her Libre party, which is in a majority alliance in Congress.
Libre factions split on who should be the legislature’s new president, coming to blows in the Congress chamber and then holding rival inaugural sittings.
Castro accused supporters of Redondo’s rival for the Congress presidency, Jorge Calix, of being in cahoots with the PN and other forces she said wanted to undermine her anti-corruption drive.
Juan Orlando Hernandez of the PN, her predecessor, is accused by US prosecutors of protecting drug traffickers in exchange for bribes.
– ‘Everyone wants to leave’ –
Castro assumes office with a full load of tasks ahead of her.
Hondurans are fleeing the country in droves, often to the United States, in search of work and a better life.
Castro spoke of a poverty rate of 74 percent, a figure she said “in itself explains the caravans of thousands of people of all ages fleeing to the north — Mexico and the United States — looking for a place and a way to survive in spite of the risk to their lives” from gangs and smugglers along the way.
“Everyone wants to leave because there’s no work. If there were more job opportunities here, there would be no need to look for another country,” university student Jensi Davila told AFP in Tegucigalpa.
Adding to the exodus, Honduras’s murder rate is nearly 40 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Among the crowd celebrating Castro’s inauguration, seamstress Esther Lopez expressed hope that the situation “is going to change, because Xiomara has been supporting the cause of the poor for many years and because of ‘Mel’ Zelaya, who was a good president.”
– Migration talks –
Harris urged Castro to fight corruption, seen as a root cause of Central American migration, in talks after the inauguration ceremony.
The first foreign official to have a bilateral meeting with Castro, Harris welcomed the priority the new president had placed “on countering corruption and impunity, including her intent to request the assistance of the United Nations in establishing an international anti-corruption commission,” a readout from Harris’s office said.
Castro needs international support to renegotiate foreign debt of $11 billion.
It is an issue, according to former prime minister Edgardo Paz, which requires agreement “with the multilateral institutions where Washington has a lot of influence.”
Castro also held a meeting with Lai, who conveyed Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s congratulations to Castro on becoming Honduras’s first woman leader, according to a statement from Tsai’s office.
Honduras is one of just 14 countries to recognize Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has spent decades encouraging the island’s allies to switch sides, with much success.
On the election campaign, Castro vowed to “immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China” if she won.
According to the presidential statement, Lai — who came bearing a consignment of Covid-19 prevention supplies — said he invited Castro to visit the self-ruled island, adding that a meeting between Taiwan and Honduras’s first woman presidents would be a historic moment.
Separately, Harris and Lai had a brief exchange at the inauguration, Taiwan’s Central News Agency said, an encounter that will likely stoke US-China tensions.
They shared “a simple greeting” in which both “spoke briefly,” the agency said.
Their conversation was the first public interaction between US and Taiwanese vice presidents since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, according to Fan Shih-ping, a political analyst at Taiwan’s National Normal University.
Castro announced part of her cabinet Thursday, with her son Hector Zelaya as private secretary and Jose Manuel Zelaya — her husband’s nephew — as defense minister.
Central America
Prosecutors Accuse Ex-Defense Minister of Undermining Press Freedom in Honduras
Honduras’ Public Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday filed criminal charges against retired General Roosevelt Hernández, the country’s former defense minister and former chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over his alleged role in actions that prosecutors say undermined press freedom and freedom of expression.
Prosecutors said the case was brought by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Protection of Journalists, Social Communicators, Human Rights Defenders and Justice Officials following an investigation into content published between 2025 and 2026 on a digital media platform operated by the Honduran Armed Forces.
According to the investigation, the publications were reported by journalists and the Honduran Journalists Association (CPH), which described them as part of an alleged campaign to discredit members of the press and media organizations.
The case dates back to May 2025, when the CPH filed complaints with national and international organizations after the Armed Forces referred to three journalists as “hitmen” in an article published by FF.AA. Digital. The association argued that the publication endangered the journalists’ safety and constituted an attack on press freedom.
The journalists identified in the publication as “hitmen of the truth” were Rodrigo Wong Arévalo, director of the television news program Abriendo Brecha; Dagoberto Rodríguez, director of Radio Cadena Voces; and Juan Carlos Sierra, president of the Honduran Journalists Association. The article also included photographs of the three journalists and the CPH’s logo.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the case file includes formal complaints, pretrial investigative proceedings, a specialized forensic analysis of audiovisual and digital material, and witness testimony gathered during the investigation to determine whether the publications violated freedom of expression and the exercise of journalism.
Authorities emphasized that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are protected under the Honduran Constitution as well as international treaties ratified by the country.
Central America
EU Urges Nicaragua to Hold Free and Transparent Elections Amid Proposed Electoral Reforms
The European Union on Saturday called on Nicaragua to hold elections “in accordance with international standards” after the country’s co-president, Daniel Ortega, promoted electoral reforms that critics say would prevent opposition groups from participating in future elections.
Nicaragua’s National Assembly, which is controlled by allies of President Ortega and Co-President Rosario Murillo, announced on Wednesday that it would draft a package of constitutional and electoral reforms to be voted on in August. Legislative President Gustavo Porras said the changes are intended to prevent what he described as the “terrible manipulation by empires and their lackeys” in the country’s electoral process, referring to opposition groups.
In a statement issued on behalf of the European Union’s 27 member states, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas urged the Nicaraguan authorities to preserve democratic principles.
“We call on the authorities to convene elections and ensure that they are held as originally scheduled and conducted in a transparent, inclusive, and credible manner, in accordance with international standards,” Kallas said.
The European Union also reiterated its condemnation of what it described as the Nicaraguan government’s “systemic repression.” Kallas called for dialogue between Ortega’s administration and opposition groups before any electoral reforms are implemented.
Ortega, who has been in power for nearly two decades, has faced repeated criticism from the international community over restrictions on political opponents and civil liberties.
In response to the growing international criticism, the Nicaraguan government announced on Friday that it will brief foreign diplomats on the proposed reforms, seeking to explain the objectives and scope of the legislative package before it is debated in Congress next month.
Central America
Honduras Warns of Possible New Dengue Epidemic as Cases Continue to Rise
Honduras could be on the verge of a new dengue epidemic, according to physician and Honduran lawmaker Carlos Umaña, who warned about the sustained increase in cases across the country.
“We are on the verge of a new dengue epidemic because cases have been rising steadily,” Umaña said, urging citizens to take preventive measures. “Let’s eliminate breeding sites so we do not face fatal consequences later,” he added.
According to official data cited by Honduran media, the country had recorded 5,780 dengue cases nationwide through epidemiological week 26, covering the period from June 28 to July 4.
Of that total, 1,362 patients developed dengue with warning signs, while at least 100 cases progressed to severe dengue, increasing pressure on the national healthcare system.
Although current figures represent a decline of nearly 39% compared with the same period in 2025, when more than 9,400 cases had been reported, health authorities continue monitoring the situation due to the risk of a new surge.
Umaña warned that if the spread of the virus is not contained, Honduras could face an increase in fatalities, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents.
Health officials continue urging the population to remove mosquito breeding sites and strengthen prevention measures to reduce transmission of the disease.
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