The way to the presidency of Honduras is open for Xiomara Castro. The right in power, ahead of about twenty points by the candidate of the left, admitted, Tuesday, November 30, its defeat in the presidential election, while the partial results relate to more than half of the votes.
“I got together with Xiomara and her whole family. I went to her house to congratulate her personally (…) I congratulate her on her triumph and as elected president, I wish God to enlighten her and guide her so that her government does what is best ”, said his competitor, the candidate of the ruling National Party (PN, right), Nasry Asfura, in a video message. Mr. Asfura had pledged to respect the result of the vote and asked that no “Not a drop of blood”.
NP will continue to “To work with force and from the opposition to take care of democracy”, said for his part the secretary of the Central Committee of the party, Kilvett Bertrand. “You can see the climate of peace and tranquility that there is in the country”, he stressed.
Washington eager “to work with the next government”
Hondurans are still awaiting the final results of the election, at the end of which Mr.me Castro would become the very first woman president of this Central American country. Since the closing of the polling stations on Sunday, the vote count has progressed slowly.
According to partial results covering 52.57% of ballots, Mme Castro, 62, of the Freedom and Refoundation Party (Free), won 53.41% of the vote, far ahead of Nasry Asfura (34.08%). According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), many minutes arrived in physical form must now be processed electronically, while a first half arrived directly in digital format.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed an election “Free and fair”, and congratulated the winner. “We look forward to working together to strengthen democratic institutions, promote economic growth and fight corruption”, he tweeted.
As early as Sunday evening, Xiomara Castro, wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, overthrown in 2009 by a coup, claimed victory. The former first lady promised to “Form a government of reconciliation”.
A bruised country
In this Central American country of 10 million people, plagued by violence and poverty, participation has reached a level “Historical” exceeding 60%, according to the CNE. On Tuesday, in a preliminary statement, the European Union observation mission stressed that the “Election day was generally calm and the transmission of results has gone smoothly so far”.
“At the same time, the run-up to the general elections was marked by unprecedented levels of political violence and intense polarization”, is it written in a press release. “At least six mayors, candidates and activists were assassinated in the weeks leading up to the elections”, said Tuesday from Tegucigalpa, the head of the European mission, Zeljana Zovko, at a press conference.
The announced victory of Mme Castro will end twelve years of reign of the National Party. She will succeed President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who is finishing his second term amid suspicion of drug trafficking. In 2013, Mr. Hernandez had beaten Xiomara Castro by a short head, and then flouted the Constitution to run for a second term in 2017. His questionable re-election on the wire against television star Salvador Nasralla had provoked violent demonstrations.
Mme Castro will have to rule a country bruised by gang violence, drug trafficking and the consequences of two devastating hurricanes that ravaged the country in 2020, where 59% of the population lives in poverty. Unemployment has almost doubled in a year, due in particular to the coronavirus pandemic, from 5.7% in 2019 to 10.9% in 2020.
Each year, tens of thousands of Hondurans try to join the million of their compatriots who have fled violence and misery, the overwhelming majority in the United States.
With a homicide rate of 37.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, Honduras is also one of the most dangerous countries in the world (excluding conflict zones).