Xiomara Castro was sworn in Thursday as the first woman president of Honduras after resolving a rebellion in her own party that had challenged her authority.
“I promise to be faithful to the Republic, to comply with and enforce the Constitution and its laws,” 62-year-old Castro said at a ceremony attended by international dignitaries and her choice for Congress president, Luis Redondo.
#Honduras 🇭🇳: the central stadium in #Tegucigalpa is completely packed for the inauguration of Xiomara Castro.
A totally different sight compared to four year ago when JOH was sworn in for a second term, at the time people were bussed-in by the NP, on the promise of a free meal. pic.twitter.com/Rnk97NfHxy
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) January 27, 2022
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, former president Manuel Zelaya, in a 2009 coup d’etat.
“Twelve years of struggle, 12 years of resistance. Today the people’s government begins,” she tweeted.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attended the inauguration ceremony in Honduras.
Today I am traveling to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to attend the inauguration of President Xiomara Castro. Our relationship with Honduras is an important one. We will meet later today to discuss deepening our cooperation across a broad range of issues between our two nations.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 27, 2022
“This visit is an opportunity for our two nations to deepen our cooperation on key issues, from anti-corruption, to economic recovery,” Harris wrote on Twitter.
