Xiomara Castro Becomes First Female President of Honduras
We love to see women everywhere breaking glass ceilings, especially in politics! From AOC to Deb Haaland, it’s clear we are more than capable of being leaders
Photo: Instagram/@ xiomaracastroz
We love to see women everywhere breaking glass ceilings, especially in politics! From AOC to Deb Haaland, it’s clear we are more than capable of being leaders. Just yesterday, Honduran politician and now president-elect Xiomara Castro made history when she won this year’s presidential election against National Party (right-wing) candidate Nasry Asfura. Castro will be the first-ever female president of Honduras, and as of this year, the only present female president in all of Latin America. Her presidency will also mark the appointment of her husband Manuel Zelaya as the first First Gentleman in Honduras history and the end of National Party rule for the first time in twelve years.
Following official confirmation of her win, Castro took to Twitter to share words of inspiration with her supporters: “¡Gracias pueblo! Revertimos 12 años de lágrimas y de dolor en alegría. El sacrificio de nuestros mártires no fue en vano. Iniciaremos una era de prosperidad de solidaridad por medio del diálogo con todos los sectores, sin discriminación y sin sectarismo.”
¡Gracias pueblo! Revertimos 12 años de lágrimas y de dolor en alegría. El sacrificio de nuestros mártires no fue en vano. Iniciaremos una era de prosperidad de solidaridad por medio del diálogo con todos los sectores, sin discriminación y sin sectarismo. 🇭🇳 ❤️
— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) November 29, 2021
Castro formerly served as the country’s first lady during Zelaya’s own presidency from 2006 until a coup in 2009. Among other duties, she fought on behalf of women with HIV and, following her husband’s removal from office, helped form the left-wing political party Libre. She remains a member of the party and ran her campaign with their support.
During her administration, unemployment, gang violence, inequality, poverty, and increased levels of migration to the United States will be among Castro’s biggest problems. While she has acknowledged that Honduras’s corruption within its own government has partly contributed to the country’s problems, it’s also no secret that the U.S. involvement has ruined many Latin American countries for its own gain.
“I believe the Biden administration has an enormous opportunity to address the issue of migration,” Castro stated in a campaign speech from earlier this year. “First, recognizing that they have part of the responsibility for what happens in our country.”
Before Castro, Argentine politician María Estela Martínez de Perón was both the first female president in any Latin American country and the first female president of a republic in the world following her husband’s death in 1974. Nicaraguan politician Violeta Barrios Torres was elected the first and, since then, the only female president of Nicaragua in 1990. Only nine other women have served as president throughout Latin America, so Castro’s win is a huge step forward for female representation in politics in the region.
Castro will be sworn into office next year on January 27, 2022. Until then, we can’t wait to see what her presidency will bring to Honduras and the world!
