Xiomara Castro
{{short description|President of Honduras since 2022}}
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Her Excellency
| name = Xiomara Castro
| image = Xiomara Castro 2025.jpg
| caption = Castro in 2025
| order = 39th
| office = President of Honduras
| status =
| vicepresident = Salvador Nasralla {{small|(until 2024)}}
Doris Gutiérrez
Renato Florentino
| term_start = 27 January 2022
| term_end =
| predecessor = Juan Orlando Hernández
| successor =
| order1 = 13th
| office1 = President pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
| term_start1 = 4 March 2024
| term_end1 = 9 April 2025
| predecessor1 = Ralph Gonsalves
| successor1 = Gustavo Petro
| office2 = First Lady of Honduras
| president2 = Manuel Zelaya
| term_label2 = In role
| term_start2 = 27 January 2006
| term_end2 = 28 June 2009
| predecessor2 = Aguas Ocaña
| successor2 = Siomara Girón
| birth_name = {{nobr|Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1959|9|30}}
| birth_place = Santa Bárbara, Honduras
| party = Liberty and Refoundation (2011–present)
| otherparty = Liberal Party (until 2011)
| spouse = {{Marriage|Manuel Zelaya|1976}}
| children = 4, including Xiomara
| alma_mater = * Autonomus University of Honduras (BBA)
}}
Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento{{family name footnote|Castro|Sarmiento|lang=Spanish}}{{cite web|url=https://resultadosgenerales2021.cne.hn/#resultados/PRE/HN|title=Elecciones Nacionales de Honduras 28 de Noviembre 2021 – Escrutinio Provisorio|access-date=29 November 2021|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128203141/https://resultadosgenerales2021.cne.hn/#resultados/PRE/HN|url-status=dead}} ({{IPA|es|ˌsjoˈmaɾa ˈkastɾo}}; born 30 September 1959),{{Cite web |date=2022-01-28 |title=Xiomara Castro: Profile of Honduras first female president |url=https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/world-60166732.amp |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=BBC News Pidgin |language=pa}} also known as Xiomara Castro de Zelaya,{{cite web|url=https://www.presidencia.gob.hn/|title=Presidencia de la República|quote=Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento, también conocida como Xiomara Castro de Zelaya[…]|publisher=Government of Honduras|language=es|access-date=28 November 2022|archive-date=29 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129142304/https://presidencia.gob.hn/|url-status=live}} is a Honduran politician and businesswoman who has served as the 39th president of Honduras since January 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/30/honduras-election/|title=Honduras elects democratic socialist as its first female president, unseating conservative ruling party|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=30 November 2021|archive-date=1 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201014410/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/30/honduras-election/|url-status=live}} She is the country's first female president, and served as first lady during the presidency of her husband Manuel Zelaya.
Castro grew up in Tegucigalpa and studied business administration; She married Zelaya in 1976 and became active in the women's section of the Liberal Party of Honduras. She became the country's first lady in 2006 following her husband's victory in the 2005 Honduran presidential election. Castro became involved in the National Popular Resistance Front after her husband's refusal to comply with a Supreme Court order led to the 2009 Honduran coup d'état, forcing him into exile.
She was nominated as the presidential candidate of the left-wing Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party at the 2013 Honduran general election, finishing runner-up to National Party of Honduras candidate Juan Orlando Hernández and outpolling Liberal candidate Mauricio Villeda. At the 2017 Honduran general election, she was Salvador Nasralla's running mate, with the ticket narrowly losing to Hernández amidst allegations of irregularities. Castro was ultimately elected to the presidency in the 2021 Honduran general election, defeating National candidate Nasry Asfura with Nasralla as her running mate. She is the first president from outside the country's two-party system since democracy was restored in 1982.{{cite web |last1=Díaz |first1=Bastián |title=Xiomara Castro, la izquierdista que se perfila como la primera mujer Presidenta de Honduras |language=es-419 |url=https://www.latercera.com/la-tercera-pm/noticia/xiomara-castro-la-izquierdista-que-se-perfila-como-la-primera-mujer-presidenta-de-honduras/5OUIYDF5ORAQRE5KHJIMBHZ7YA/ |website=La Tercera |date=29 November 2021 |access-date=1 December 2021 |archive-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129173726/https://www.latercera.com/la-tercera-pm/noticia/xiomara-castro-la-izquierdista-que-se-perfila-como-la-primera-mujer-presidenta-de-honduras/5OUIYDF5ORAQRE5KHJIMBHZ7YA/ |url-status=live }} In 2023, she was ranked 94 (out of 100) in the Forbes list of "World's 100 most powerful women".{{Cite web |title=The World's Most Powerful Women 2023 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205122317/https://www.forbes.com/lists/power-women/ |access-date= |website=Forbes |language=en}}
Early life
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=March 2023}}
Xiomara Castro was born on 30 September 1959 in Santa Bárbara, Honduras. The second of five children to Irene de Jesús Castro Reyes and Olga Doris Sarmiento Montoya, Castro attended primary and secondary school in Tegucigalpa at the San José del Carmen Institute and the María Auxiliadora Institute. In January 1976, Castro married Manuel Zelaya. Immediately after the wedding, they made their home in Catacamas, Olancho Department.
Castro played an active part in the Association of Spouses of Members of the Rotary Club of Catacamas, as well as the activities developed within the group to take care of children in need in the Olancho department. She took part in the creation of the Centro de Cuidado Diurno para Niños en Catacamas (Children's Daily Care Center in Catacamas), with the aim of offering assistance to single-parent families led by women, including through the creation of projects of basic cleaning, sowing of vegetables, and floriculture as important projects of job development.
Political career
File:Xiomara Castro (August 07, 2007) (cropped).jpg
In Catacamas, Castro organized the women's branch of the Liberal Party of Honduras and campaigned in support of her husband in the internal elections of February 2005, while she was in charge of sub-political coordination of Catacamas. As First Lady of Honduras, she was in charge of social development programs, and she worked with the United Nations in coalition with other first ladies to address issues faced by women with HIV.{{cite web |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/deposed-honduran-leaders-wife-leads-polls |title=Deposed Honduran Leader's Wife Leads in Polls |first=Alberto|last=Arce |date=22 June 2013 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=6 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112004207/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/deposed-honduran-leaders-wife-leads-polls |archive-date=12 November 2013 }}
Following the removal of her husband in the 2009 Honduran coup d'état, she led the movement resisting the coup, repeatedly joining thousands of Hondurans in the streets calling for Zelaya's return. This movement became known as the National Popular Resistance Front (FNRP) and formed the basis for the political party Libre.
The Taiwanese embassy only offered Castro's pregnant daughter political protection on humanitarian grounds. Lai Chien-Chung, the Taiwanese ambassador to Honduras, stating the refusal was to spread the risk and disputed the opposition's narrative of indifference. She said her office reached out to Castro and sheltered her husband and two daughters. Taiwanese KMT opposition member Tsai Cheng-yuan claims that Taipei staff evicted the family and called in the military police to arrest them.{{Cite news |last=Maisonnave |first=Fabiano |date=2009-10-25 |title=Manuel Zelaya undergoes strange siege inside Brazilian embassy |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/oct/25/honduras-manuel-zelaya-embassy-siege |access-date=2023-03-29 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330001103/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/oct/25/honduras-manuel-zelaya-embassy-siege |url-status=live }} Castro joined her husband in the Brazilian embassy, where he had taken refuge before reaching a negotiation with the de facto regime.
=Presidential campaigns=
==2013==
On 1 July 2012, Castro officially launched her presidential campaign at an event in the department of Santa Barbara.{{cite web |url=http://www.proceso.hn/especiales/g13/xiomara.html |title=Xiomara Castro Sarmiento |publisher=Proceso Digital |access-date=6 November 2013 |archive-date=9 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109191731/http://www.proceso.hn/especiales/g13/xiomara.html |url-status=dead }} She then won her party's primary on 18 November 2012,{{cite web|url=http://www.elfaro.net/es/201211/internacionales/10226/|title=Abogados de derecha disputarán la presidencia a Xiomara Castro, la esposa de Mel Zelaya|date=18 November 2012|work=El Faro|access-date=6 November 2013|archive-date=9 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109191611/http://www.elfaro.net/es/201211/internacionales/10226/|url-status=live}} (Spanish) and on 16 June 2013, she was officially chosen to represent Libre in the 2013 presidential election. She expressed opposition to neoliberalism and the militarization of society, and she campaigned for a constituent assembly to write a new constitution{{cite web|url=http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2013/06/16/1501624/xiomara-castro-lanza-candidatura.html |title=Xiomara Castro lanza candidatura en Honduras |first=Alberto |last=Arce |date=16 June 2013 |work=Nuevo Herald |access-date=6 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131106201205/http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2013/06/16/1501624/xiomara-castro-lanza-candidatura.html|archive-date=6 November 2013 |lang=es}}
Leading up to the election, she was first in the polls among all eight candidates during the months of March through October.{{cite web|url=http://www.elfaro.net/es/201310/internacionales/13718/|title=A un mes de las elecciones, la izquierdista Xiomara Castro encabeza las encuestas|website=El Faro|first=Noé|last=Leiva|date=24 October 2013|access-date=10 November 2013|archive-date=11 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111020349/http://www.elfaro.net/es/201310/internacionales/13718/|url-status=live}} (Spanish) However, in the final poll before the election, she fell to second place, behind the President of the National Congress, Juan Orlando Hernández of the National Party of Honduras.{{cite web|url=http://www.laprensa.hn/inicio/404156-96/a-un-mes-de-las-elecciones-joh-aventaja-por-cinco-punto-a|title=A un mes de las elecciones, JOH aventaja por cinco punto a Xiomara Castro|date=1 November 2013|work=La Prensa|access-date=10 November 2013|archive-date=11 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111015327/http://www.laprensa.hn/inicio/404156-96/a-un-mes-de-las-elecciones-joh-aventaja-por-cinco-punto-a|url-status=live}} (Spanish){{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-31/debut-honduran-bonds-rally-as-polls-show-tighter-election.html|title=Debut Honduran Bonds Rally as Polls Show Tighter Election|first=Eric|last=Sabo|author2=Isabella Cota|date=31 October 2013|work=Bloomberg News|access-date=10 November 2013|archive-date=11 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111041639/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-31/debut-honduran-bonds-rally-as-polls-show-tighter-election.html|url-status=live}} Castro and Hernández were widely seen as the two leading candidates going into the election.{{cite web|url=http://transatlantic-magazine.com/election-update-chile-honduras-and-venezuela/|title=Election Update . . Chile, Honduras, and Venezuela|first=Ero|last=Meyer|work=TransAtlantic Magazine|date=30 October 2013|access-date=10 November 2013|archive-date=11 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111020600/http://transatlantic-magazine.com/election-update-chile-honduras-and-venezuela/|url-status=live}} She came in second behind Hernández with 896,498 votes (28.78%) to Hernández's 1,149,302 (36.89%).{{Cite web |url=http://siede.tse.hn/app_dev.php/divulgacionmonitoreo/reporte-presidente |title=TSE official results |access-date=19 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217132154/http://siede.tse.hn/app_dev.php/divulgacionmonitoreo/reporte-presidente |archive-date=17 December 2013 |url-status=dead }} This was the first time the Libre party outperformed either the National or the Liberal Party, as Libre won the second most seats in Congress.{{cite web|url=http://www.nacion.com/el-mundo/politica/candidata-opositora-xiomara-castro-denuncia-robo-de-su-triunfo-en-honduras/NWZGJQTMUFCXZJ7KZPRG4QMAQM/story/|title=Candidata opositora Xiomara Castro denuncia 'robo' de su triunfo en Honduras|date=28 November 2013|work=La Nación|language=es|access-date=20 December 2017|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053230/http://www.nacion.com/el-mundo/politica/candidata-opositora-xiomara-castro-denuncia-robo-de-su-triunfo-en-honduras/NWZGJQTMUFCXZJ7KZPRG4QMAQM/story/|url-status=live}}
==2017==
File:Xiomara Castro in 2013.jpg
For the 2017 presidential election, Castro again sought to be Libre's nominee.{{cite web|url=http://www.elheraldo.hn/eleccioneshonduras2017/partidolibre/1050492-508/xiomara-castro-una-pol%C3%ADtica-decidida-a-cambiar-a-honduras|title=Xiomara Castro, una política decidida a cambiar a Honduras|date=7 March 2017|work=El Heraldo|access-date=19 December 2017|language=es|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222070337/http://www.elheraldo.hn/eleccioneshonduras2017/partidolibre/1050492-508/xiomara-castro-una-pol%C3%ADtica-decidida-a-cambiar-a-honduras|url-status=live}} She easily won the primary,{{cite web|url=http://www.elheraldo.hn/eleccioneshonduras2017/partidolibre/1052239-508/xiomara-castro-gana-las-primarias-de-libre-y-apunta-a-la-alianza|title=Xiomara Castro gana las primaris de Libre y apunta a la alianza|work=El Heraldo|date=12 March 2017|access-date=19 December 2017|language=es|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222054808/http://www.elheraldo.hn/eleccioneshonduras2017/partidolibre/1052239-508/xiomara-castro-gana-las-primarias-de-libre-y-apunta-a-la-alianza|url-status=live}} but when Libre formed an alliance with the Innovation and Unity Party, she agreed to step aside and let Salvador Nasralla lead the alliance's presidential ticket.{{cite web|url=http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/salvador-nasralla-encabeza-la-alianza-opositora|title=Salvador Nasralla encabeza la alianza opositora|first=Karen N.|last=Reyes|date=21 May 2017|access-date=19 December 2017|publisher=HRN|language=es|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051550/http://www.radiohrn.hn/l/noticias/salvador-nasralla-encabeza-la-alianza-opositora|url-status=dead}}
The Alliance won the election in the pre-election polls, and led in the preliminary results. However, a general blackout interrupted the publication of the count for 36 hours; when it was restarted, the trend was reversed and President Juan Orlando Hernández was re-elected, leading to accusations of fraud. The ensuing demonstrations were suppressed by the government, leaving 23 people dead, hundreds injured and more than 1,350 detained.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-28 |title=Elecciones en Honduras: Quién es Xiomara Castro, la mujer que terminó con el primer "golpe blando" de América latina |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/385740-elecciones-en-honduras-quien-es-xiomara-castro-la-mujer-que- |access-date= |website=Página12 |language=es |archive-date=10 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110225910/https://www.pagina12.com.ar/385740-elecciones-en-honduras-quien-es-xiomara-castro-la-mujer-que- |url-status=live }}
==2021==
Castro was chosen as the 2021 presidential candidate for Libre and represented her political party in the 2021 Honduran general election.{{Cite news|last=Lopez|first=Oscar|date=28 November 2021|title=What's at Stake in the Honduran Presidential Election?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/world/americas/honduras-elections.html|access-date=28 November 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=21 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621180435/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/world/americas/honduras-elections.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=24 November 2021|first=Jeff|last=Ernst|title='She's the only option': Hondurans hope Xiomara Castro can lead the nation in a new direction|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/24/honduras-presidential-election-xiomara-castro-nasry-asfura|access-date=28 November 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=21 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621181723/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/24/honduras-presidential-election-xiomara-castro-nasry-asfura|url-status=live}} Salvador Nasralla, a presidential candidate for the Savior Party, later dropped out and became Castro's running mate.{{cite web |title=Last Minute Alliance Shifts Honduras Election Scene |url=https://havanatimes.org/features/last-minute-alliance-shifts-honduras-election-scene/ |agency=El Faro |website=Havana Times |access-date=1 December 2021 |date=18 October 2021 |archive-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129200613/https://havanatimes.org/features/last-minute-alliance-shifts-honduras-election-scene/ |url-status=live }} Polls showed a tight race between Castro and her right-wing opponent Nasry Asfura, of the incumbent National Party, a two-term mayor plagued by allegations of corruption.{{Cite news|last=Palencia|first=Gustavo|date=26 November 2021|title=Honduran ruling party hopeful Asfura faces uphill climb|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/honduran-ruling-party-hopeful-asfura-faces-uphill-climb-2021-11-26/|access-date=28 November 2021|archive-date=2 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202093452/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/honduran-ruling-party-hopeful-asfura-faces-uphill-climb-2021-11-26/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=García|first=Jacobo|date=28 November 2021|title=Los modelos antagónicos de Xiomara Castro y Asfura se enfrentan en las urnas de Honduras|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-11-28/los-modelos-antagonicos-de-xiomara-castro-y-asfura-se-enfrentan-en-las-urnas-de-honduras.html|access-date=28 November 2021|website=El País|language=es|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128050928/https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-11-28/los-modelos-antagonicos-de-xiomara-castro-y-asfura-se-enfrentan-en-las-urnas-de-honduras.html|url-status=live}} During her presidential campaign, she suggested the diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China in Beijing over the Republic of China on Taiwan (see One-China policy), the establishment of an anti-corruption commission backed by the United Nations similar to the one active in Guatemala and an update to the Honduran Constitution.{{Cite web|last=O’Boyle|first=Brendan|date=14 October 2021|title=Could Honduras Shift Left? A Look at Xiomara Castro|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/could-honduras-shift-left-a-look-at-xiomara-castro/|access-date=2 December 2021|website=Americas Quarterly|language=en-US|archive-date=2 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202052440/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/could-honduras-shift-left-a-look-at-xiomara-castro/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=1 December 2021|title=Honduras president-elect's China pledge puts Taiwan and US on edge|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/honduras-xiomara-castro-taiwan-china-diplomacy|access-date=2 December 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=2 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202013337/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/honduras-xiomara-castro-taiwan-china-diplomacy|url-status=live}} Castro has proposed a constituent assembly to rewrite the Constitution of Honduras.{{Cite news|last=Olson|first=Jared|date=6 December 2021|title=Honduras Elects a Socialist—but Will She Be Allowed to Govern?|work=The Nation|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/castro-honduras-election/|access-date=7 December 2021|archive-date=7 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207012735/https://www.thenation.com/article/world/castro-honduras-election/|url-status=live}} She has also suggested easing the country's complete prohibition of abortion, under limited circumstances, and allow the use and distribution of emergency contraception.{{Cite web|date=29 November 2021|first=Jeff|last=Ernst|title=Xiomara Castro poised to become first female president of Honduras|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/29/xiomara-castro-declares-victory-in-honduras-presidential-election|access-date=29 November 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005155547/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/29/xiomara-castro-declares-victory-in-honduras-presidential-election|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=8 Dec 2021 |title=First woman president in Honduras faces tough fight on abortion |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/first-woman-president-honduras-faces-tough-fight-abortion-rcna8043 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308070257/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/first-woman-president-honduras-faces-tough-fight-abortion-rcna8043 |url-status=live }}
Following the release of the preliminary results of the election on 29 November, Castro declared victory, and was described by international media as the apparent victor of the election, pending full results.{{Cite web|title=Honduras set for first female president as Castro holds wide lead|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/29/honduras-set-for-first-female-president-castro-holds-wide-lead|access-date=29 November 2021|publisher=Al Jazeera|language=en|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004150813/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/29/honduras-set-for-first-female-president-castro-holds-wide-lead|url-status=live}} The next day, Asfura's party conceded defeat.{{cite web |title=Honduras' ruling party concedes presidential election to leftist |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-honduras-election/honduras-ruling-party-concedes-presidential-election-to-leftist-idUSKBN2IF0DV |website=Reuters |access-date=1 December 2021 |date=30 November 2021 |archive-date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201012955/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-honduras-election/honduras-ruling-party-concedes-presidential-election-to-leftist-idUSKBN2IF0DV |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/honduras-elected-first-female-president-xiomara-castro-rcna7218 |title=Honduras elected its first female president, Xiomara Castro |date=1 December 2021 |access-date=2 December 2021 |publisher=NBC News |archive-date=18 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618160850/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/honduras-elected-first-female-president-xiomara-castro-rcna7218 |url-status=live }} He then met with Castro and congratulated her. Castro became Honduras' first female president on 27 January 2022.{{cite web |title=Opposition candidate Xiomara Castro elected Honduras' first female president |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/11/30/Honduras-Xiomara-Castro-elected-Honduras-first-female-president/7251638323525/ |publisher=UPI |access-date=1 December 2021 |date=30 November 2021 |archive-date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201034632/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/11/30/Honduras-Xiomara-Castro-elected-Honduras-first-female-president/7251638323525/ |url-status=live }}
=2022 congressional leadership dispute=
Before the 2021 election, Castro had promised Salvador Nasralla that his Savior Party would hold the leadership of the National Congress should they win the election. This promise was one of the conditions that persuaded Nasralla to end his presidential campaign and join Castro’s. However, on 21 January 2022, 20 deputies from Libre refused to follow suit. They voted for Libre deputy Jorge Cálix to be the congressional president. The rest of the Libre deputies and allied parties voted for Luis Redondo of the Savior Party per the initial agreement. A fight then broke out on the floor of Congress, and Castro refused to recognise Cálix's election. She subsequently denounced the 20 deputies (two of whom later retracted their support for Cálix) as "traitors" and expelled 18 from Libre. The following evening Castro held a vigil with Libre supporters outside the Congress; she stated that the purpose of the event was "...to prevent the kidnapping of the National Congress and to reject the bipartisanship led by the dictator Juan Orlando Hernández with the direct complicity of a few traitorous deputies, elected by the people under our banner".{{cite news |title=Libre Party of Honduran President-elect expels defector deputies |url=https://www.radiohc.cu/en/noticias/internacionales/283679-libre-party-of-honduran-president-elect-expels-defector-deputies |access-date=27 January 2022 |work=Radio Havana Cuba |date=22 January 2022 |archive-date=25 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425080037/https://www.radiohc.cu/en/noticias/internacionales/283679-libre-party-of-honduran-president-elect-expels-defector-deputies |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Honduran Congress begins term mired in factional fighting |url=https://www.laprensalatina.com/honduran-congress-begins-term-mired-in-factional-fighting/ |access-date=27 January 2022 |work=La Prensa Latina Media |date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514211955/https://www.laprensalatina.com/honduran-congress-begins-term-mired-in-factional-fighting/ |url-status=live }} The dispute ended when Calíx and the expelled Libre deputies agreed to support Redondo. Castro subsequently had their party membership restored.{{cite news |title=Honduras political dispute resolved, paving way for president's anti-corruption agenda |url=https://news.yahoo.com/honduras-political-dispute-resolved-paving-010307092.html |access-date=9 February 2022 |agency=Reuters |date=8 February 2022 |archive-date=27 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927125407/https://news.yahoo.com/honduras-political-dispute-resolved-paving-010307092.html |url-status=live }}
Presidency (2022–present)
File:01.28 副總統率團出席宏都拉斯共和國總統卡蕬楚就職典禮 - 51847230958.jpg
Castro was inaugurated as president on 27 January 2022.{{Cite news|date=2022-01-27|title=Xiomara Castro: Honduras' first female president sworn in|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-60155634|access-date=2022-01-31|archive-date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204174344/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-60155634|url-status=live}} She was sworn in at the Tegucigalpa National Soccer Stadium,{{Cite web |date=30 January 2022 |title=Xiomara Castro Inaugurated As Honduras' First Female President |url=https://latindispatch.com/2022/01/30/xiomara-castro-inaugurated-as-honduras-first-female-president/ |website=latindispatch.com |access-date=19 August 2022 |archive-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927235131/https://latindispatch.com/2022/01/30/xiomara-castro-inaugurated-as-honduras-first-female-president/ |url-status=live }} with thousands of individuals present. Among the attendees were King of Spain Felipe VI, Vice President of Taiwan Lai Ching-te, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Vice President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Vice President of Cuba Salvador Valdés Mesa and President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado Quesada.{{cite news|title=Xiomara Castro toma posesión como nueva presidenta de Honduras|url=https://www.lne.es/internacional/2022/01/27/xiomara-castro-toma-posesion-nueva-62031978.html|access-date=28 January 2022|work=La Nueva España|date=27 January 2022|archive-date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127184950/https://www.lne.es/internacional/2022/01/27/xiomara-castro-toma-posesion-nueva-62031978.html|url-status=live}}
Castro is the first female President of Honduras and the first to not be a member of the National or Liberal parties since the restoration of democracy in 1982. During her inaugural address, Castro promised to combat corruption and inequality which she said was 'rampant' during the rule of the previous National government.{{cite news |title=Honduras swears in Xiomara Castro as first female president |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/27/honduras-swears-in-xiomara-castro-as-first-female-president |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=Al Jazeera |date=27 January 2022 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204023040/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/27/honduras-swears-in-xiomara-castro-as-first-female-president |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Honduras inaugurates first female president, Harris vows closer U.S. ties |url=https://news.yahoo.com/ |access-date=28 January 2022 |agency=Reuters |date=28 January 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116161049/http://news.yahoo.com/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Xiomara Castro: from first lady to Honduras's first woman president |url=https://news.yahoo.com/xiomara-castro-first-lady-hondurass-204034488.html |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=AFP |date=28 January 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127233143/https://news.yahoo.com/xiomara-castro-first-lady-hondurass-204034488.html |url-status=live }}
Castro extradited her predecessor Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States for his links to drug trafficking, rather than hand him over to the Honduran justice system; she cited Honduras state corruption as her motivation. Her government asked for UN help in setting up an international commission to fight corruption.{{Cite web |last=Goodfriend |first=Hilary |title=A new phase of struggle in Honduras |url=https://africasacountry.com/2022/07/a-new-phase-of-struggle-in-honduras |access-date= |website=africasacountry.com |date=28 July 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127215223/https://africasacountry.com/2022/07/a-new-phase-of-struggle-in-honduras |url-status=live }}
The Supreme Court, whose members were appointed by previous governments, opposes some of her reform plans.
=Economic policy=
In her inaugural speech, Castro vowed to re-found a democratic socialist state, stating she had a duty to restore an economic system based upon transparency, efficiency of production, social justice in the distribution of wealth and in national income, and that her vision of her world puts the human being before the rules of the market.{{cite news|title=Toma de posesión de Xiomara Castro|url=https://www.celag.org/toma-de-posesion-de-xiomara-castro/|date=27 January 2022|access-date=27 January 2022|work=CELAG|language=es|archive-date=28 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128131602/https://www.celag.org/toma-de-posesion-de-xiomara-castro/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Xiomara Castro asume la presidencia y propone refundar un Honduras socialista y democrático|url=https://ifmnoticias.com/xiomara-castro-asume-la-presidencia-y-propone-refundar-un-honduras-socialista-y-democratico/|date=28 January 2022|access-date=28 January 2022|work=IFM Noticias|language=es|archive-date=30 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130150039/https://ifmnoticias.com/xiomara-castro-asume-la-presidencia-y-propone-refundar-un-honduras-socialista-y-democratico/|url-status=live}}
In February 2022, she intervened in a dispute with a businessman over the ownership of a large piece of land south of the capital.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-10 |title=Honduras president stops eviction of indigenous community |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/honduras-president-stops-eviction-of-indigenous-community |website=RFI |language=en |archive-date=10 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110225909/https://www.rfi.fr/en/honduras-president-stops-eviction-of-indigenous-community |url-status=live }} The businessman, who owned the land under Honduras law, intended to evict indigenous people to build homes for 10,000 Hondurans; she intervened to stop the eviction, citing indigenous wellbeing over rule of law.
She banned open-pit mining in March 2022 due to the extensive damage to the environment. The government also promised to intervene "immediately" to conserve areas of "high environmental value" for the benefit of the population.{{Cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220301-honduras-bans-open-pit-mining|title=Honduras bans open-pit mining|work=France24|date=1 March 2022|access-date=7 May 2022|archive-date=29 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429160920/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220301-honduras-bans-open-pit-mining|url-status=live}}
In May 2022, Castro began a measure passed by Congress to abolish Honduras' special economic zones, which the previous National government implemented.{{cite news |last1=González |first1=Marlon |title=Honduran economic zones in 'limbo' after government repeal |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-30/honduran-economic-zones-in-limbo-after-government-repeal |access-date=7 May 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=30 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505200701/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-30/honduran-economic-zones-in-limbo-after-government-repeal |archive-date=5 May 2022|url-status=live}}
In May 2023, the government introduced a law reforming the tax system, termed Ley de Justicia Tributaria (LJT).{{Cite news |last1=Dreißig |first1=Daniela |url=https://amerika21.de/2023/05/263968/honduras-gesetzentwurf-steuern |title=Gesetzentwurf der Regierung für Steuergerechtigkeit polarisiert Honduras |work=amerika21 |language=de |publisher=Mondial21 e. V. |date=15 May 2023 |access-date=7 June 2023 |archive-date=20 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520102359/https://amerika21.de/2023/05/263968/honduras-gesetzentwurf-steuern |url-status=live }} The government stated the law is designed to eliminate tax loopholes and privileges for certain economic sectors. The bill was met with protests by melon farmers and shrimpers inside the country, because it entails a revocation of tax rebates for these industries.
At her state visit to the People's Republic of China in Shanghai in June 2023, Castro applied for Honduran membership in the New Development Bank, also called BRICS Development Bank, as this would boost the economic development and raise living standards in her country.{{Cite news |url=https://amerika21.de/2023/06/264411/honduras-will-aufnahme-brics-bank |title=Honduras ersucht um Aufnahme in die "Neue Entwicklungsbank" der Brics-Staaten |work=amerika21 |language=de |publisher=Mondial21 e. V. |date=11 June 2023 |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619163646/https://amerika21.de/2023/06/264411/honduras-will-aufnahme-brics-bank |url-status=live }}
==Energy==
In a bid to combat poverty, Castro announced during her inauguration that the poorest families in Honduras, those that consume under 150kWh per month of electricity, will no longer pay electricity bills, and that the additional cost of this policy will be paid for by the biggest consumers assuming an extra charge on their bills.{{cite news|title=Honduras: Xiomara Castro juró como presidenta y anunció gratuidad de la luz para familias pobres|date=28 January 2022 |url=https://www.rfi.fr/es/am%C3%A9ricas/20220128-honduras-xiomara-castro-jur%C3%B3-como-presidenta-y-anunci%C3%B3-gratuidad-de-la-luz-para-familias-pobres|access-date=28 January 2022|work=Radio France Internationale|language=es|archive-date=28 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128095008/https://www.rfi.fr/es/am%C3%A9ricas/20220128-honduras-xiomara-castro-jur%C3%B3-como-presidenta-y-anunci%C3%B3-gratuidad-de-la-luz-para-familias-pobres|url-status=live}} In addition, Castro also announced that her government would send a decree to the National Congress of Honduras to achieve a fuel subsidy, and vowed no more concessions in the exploitation of rivers, hydrographic basins and national parks.{{cite news|title=Va con todas sus fuerzas: las promesas de Xiomara Castro tras convertirse en la primera Presidenta de Honduras|url=https://www.diez.hn/fotogalerias/xiomara-castro-promesas-presidenta-de-honduras-estadio-nacional-tegucigalpa-mel-zelaya-EY5274170#image-9|access-date=27 January 2022|work=Diez |language=es|archive-date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127205927/https://www.diez.hn/fotogalerias/xiomara-castro-promesas-presidenta-de-honduras-estadio-nacional-tegucigalpa-mel-zelaya-EY5274170#image-9|url-status=live}}
==Fiscal policy==
In her inaugural address, Castro announced to the nation that the largest base of the budget she will present to parliament is dedicated to salaries and wages.{{cite tweet|user=radioamericahn|number=1487165270842085382|title=#AméricaNoticias #Honduras "La mayor base del presupuesto se designa a sueldos y salarios": Xiomara Castro, presidenta de Honduras. #RadioAmérica |date=27 January 2022|access-date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/C8d4f|archive-date=8 January 2024|url-status=live|language=es}} In-addition, Castro stated that she had ordered her Minister of Finance and the Central Bank to take action to reduce interest rates for production.
== Security policy ==
On 25 November 2022, a state of emergency was declared to deal with crime.{{Cite web |title=Honduras declares national emergency over gang extortion |url=https://www.dw.com/en/honduras-declares-national-emergency-over-gang-extortion/a-63895434 |website=DW |language=en |archive-date=10 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110225909/https://www.dw.com/en/honduras-declares-national-emergency-over-gang-extortion/a-63895434 |url-status=live }}
Initially instituted for forty-five days in two municipalities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, the state of exception has been renewed and extended to more than half of the country's cities. The government strengthened police resources, built several high-security prisons, authorized the deployment of security forces in the streets, and authorized the deployment of military forces in the streets to support the police.
The homicide rate has fallen from 38 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022 to 31 in 2023, a drop of 17%. However, according to some specialists, the reduction in crime is not directly linked to the state of emergency. The government's security policy is also hampered by blockages in Parliament, where Xiomara Castro's party does not hold a majority.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-03 |title=Honduras registró 3,030 homicidios en 2023: Seguridad |url=https://www.laprensa.hn/honduras/crimenes-muerte-violentas-3-030-homicidios-2023-secretaria-seguridad-HP16801969 |website=www.laprensa.hn |language=es-HN}}
=Foreign policy=
File:Viaje oficial de Pedro Sánchez por América Latina Honduras (5).jpg in Tegucigalpa in August 2022]]
File:01.01.2023 - Cumprimentos dos chefes de Estado e de Governo - 52621393912.jpg in January 2023]]
==Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic==
In February 2022, Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres Zelaya held a meeting with Sahrawi President Brahim Ghali, which concluded with an announcement that diplomatic relations between the peoples and governments of Honduras and the SADR had been restored and would be deepened.{{cite news|title=Honduras restablece relaciones con la República Saharaui. Declaración oficial del alto representante de Honduras luego de reunirse con el Presidente Saharaui.|trans-title=Honduras reestablishes relations with the Saharawi Republic. Official declaration of the high representative of Honduras after meeting with the Saharawi President.|url=https://werkenrojo.cl/honduras-restablece-relaciones-con-la-republica-saharaui-declaracion-oficial-del-alto-representante-de-honduras-luego-de-reunirse-con-el-presidente-saharaui/|access-date=13 February 2022|work=Werken Rojo|date=13 February 2022|language=es|archive-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213223933/https://werkenrojo.cl/honduras-restablece-relaciones-con-la-republica-saharaui-declaracion-oficial-del-alto-representante-de-honduras-luego-de-reunirse-con-el-presidente-saharaui/|url-status=live}}
==Taiwan and People's Republic of China==
File:01.27 「副總統率團出席宏都拉斯共和國總統卡蕬楚就職典禮」向卡蕬楚總統當選人致意並呈遞特使國書 - 51845921976.jpg in 2022]]
During her campaign, Castro promised to change Honduras' allegiance from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People's Republic of China if elected. Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te attended Castro's inauguration.{{cite news |title=Xiomara Castro asume como la primera presidenta de Honduras, con foco en lazos con Taiwán |trans-title=Xiomara Castro assumes as the first president of Honduras, with a focus on ties with Taiwan |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/agencias/xiomara-castro-asume-como-la-primera-presidenta-de-honduras-con-foco-en-lazos-con-taiwan-nid27012022/ |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=La Nación |agency=Reuters |date=27 January 2022 |language=es |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128100342/https://www.lanacion.com.ar/agencias/xiomara-castro-asume-como-la-primera-presidenta-de-honduras-con-foco-en-lazos-con-taiwan-nid27012022/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |agency=AFP |title=Castro está dispuesta a fortalecer los lazos de Honduras con Taiwán |trans-title=Castro is willing to strengthen Honduran ties with Taiwan |url=https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20220128-castro-est%C3%A1-dispuesta-a-fortalecer-los-lazos-de-honduras-con-taiw%C3%A1n |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=France24 |date=28 January 2022 |language=es |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128100342/https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20220128-castro-est%C3%A1-dispuesta-a-fortalecer-los-lazos-de-honduras-con-taiw%C3%A1n |url-status=live }} On 14 March 2023, Castro instructed her foreign minister to move to cut ties with Taiwan in order to establish formal relations with the People's Republic of China as the sole Chinese state.{{cite news |last1=Kwan |first1=Rhoda |title=Honduras to switch ties from Taiwan to China, says president |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/15/honduras-to-switch-ties-from-taiwan-to-china-says-president |access-date=15 March 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=15 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315013845/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/15/honduras-to-switch-ties-from-taiwan-to-china-says-president |url-status=live }} At the end of March, Honduras and the PRC formally established diplomatic ties and appointed ambassadors to their respective capitals.{{Cite news |last1=Guzmán |first1=Vilma |url=https://amerika21.de/2023/03/263270/honduras-china-beziehungen |title=Honduras und China haben diplomatische Beziehungen aufgenommen |work=amerika21 |language=de |publisher=Mondial21 e. V. |date=28 March 2023 |access-date=8 June 2023 |archive-date=8 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608194210/https://amerika21.de/2023/03/263270/honduras-china-beziehungen |url-status=live }}
Retired Taiwanese Kuomintang opposition member Tsai Cheng-yuan posted on social media that this move was a result of Taiwan refusing to shelter Castro during the 2009 coup.{{Citation |title=台宏斷交藏"新仇舊恨"?!昔曾冒險庇護"宏國總統家族" 蔡正元還原一手真相... @CtiNews | date=24 March 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_rWEr3hdxA |access-date=2023-03-30 |language=en |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330001656/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_rWEr3hdxA |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Taiwan helped Honduran first family in 2009 coup: Ex-ambassador - Focus Taiwan |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202303240010 |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Focus Taiwan - CNA English News |date=24 March 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329151043/https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202303240010 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-25 |title=Taiwan helped Honduran first family in 2009 coup |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/03/25/2003796711 |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Taipei Times |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330001104/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/03/25/2003796711 |url-status=live }} Castro for her part cited U.S. interventionism and pressure, especially in regards to Taiwan in Central America, as motives to open diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Scott B. |date=2021-12-18 |title=China's Inroads in Latin America and the Caribbean Demand a New Strategy |url=https://nationalinterest.org/feature/china%E2%80%99s-inroads-latin-america-and-caribbean-demand-new-strategy-197954 |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=The National Interest |language=en |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403204849/https://nationalinterest.org/feature/china%E2%80%99s-inroads-latin-america-and-caribbean-demand-new-strategy-197954 |url-status=live }}
==Venezuela==
Shortly following Castro's inauguration, an event attended by representatives of the Nicolás Maduro government,{{cite news|title=Foreign Minister heads Venezuelan delegation in Xiomara Castro's investiture|url=https://en.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/news/politics/Foreign-Minister-heads-Venezuelan-delegation-in-investiture-of-Xiomara-Castro/|access-date=27 January 2022|work=Últimas Noticias|language=en|archive-date=30 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130023254/https://en.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/news/politics/Foreign-Minister-heads-Venezuelan-delegation-in-investiture-of-Xiomara-Castro/|url-status=live}} the Venezuelan embassy in Tegucigalpa was vacated by representatives of Juan Guaidó,{{cn|date=November 2023}} who had been recognised as the President of Venezuela by outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernández since the Venezuelan presidential crisis.{{cite web|title=OAS Member States Issue Joint Statement on Venezuela|url=https://usoas.usmission.gov/oas-member-states-issue-joint-statement-on-venezuela/|website=US Mission to the Organization of American States|date=24 January 2019|publisher=United States State Department|access-date=14 August 2019|quote=The delegations of Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic reaffirm the right to democracy enjoyed by the peoples of the Americas ... In this context, we recognize and express our full support to the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, who has assumed the role of President in charge of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in accordance with the constitutional norms and the illegitimacy of the Nicolás Maduro regime.|archive-date=13 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113152733/https://usoas.usmission.gov/oas-member-states-issue-joint-statement-on-venezuela/|url-status=live}} As a result, the embassy was recovered by the Venezuelan delegation sent by the Maduro government.{{cn|date=November 2023}} Former President and First Gentleman Manuel Zelaya responded to the news by sending a tweet welcoming Maduro, Latin American unity and the Bolivarian Revolution.{{cite tweet|user=manuelzr|number=1487165270842085382|title=Bienvenida la Unidad Latinoamericana y la Revolución bolivariana. @NicolasMaduro |date=January 28, 2022|access-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/76PYF|archive-date=8 January 2024|url-status=live|language=es}} Soon after, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, {{ill|Félix Plasencia|es}}, and newly appointed Foreign Minister of Honduras Enrique Reina announced the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two nations for the first time since 2009,{{cite tweet|user=EnriqueReinaHN|number=1487481798124843014|title=Recibimos las copias de estilo de la Embajadora @MargaudGpsuv en compañía del Canciller @PlasenciaFelix para el restablecimiento de relaciones diplomáticas con la República Bolivariana de Venezuela|date=January 29, 2022|access-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/wpr8C|archive-date=8 January 2024|url-status=live|language=es}}{{cite tweet|user=CancilleriaVE|number=1487110231389839361|title=#EnVideo 🎥 Desde Honduras el canciller de Venezuela, Félix Plasencia, anunció el restablecimiento de las relaciones diplomáticas entre ambas naciones y la recuperación de la sede diplomática. |date=January 28, 2022|access-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/jHKoT|archive-date=8 January 2024|url-status=live|language=es}} when they were severed shortly after the coup.{{cite news|title=De facto rulers move to expel Venezuelan diplomats|date=21 July 2009|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20090721-de-facto-rulers-move-expel-venezuelan-diplomats-|access-date=21 July 2009|work=France 24|language=en|archive-date=21 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221121830/http://www.france24.com/en/20090721-de-facto-rulers-move-expel-venezuelan-diplomats-|url-status=live}} The restoration of diplomatic relations was followed by Honduran accreditation of the Venezuelan ambassador Margaud Godoy by Foreign Minister Reina,{{cite news|title=Gobierno de Venezuela acredita formalmente a su embajadora en Honduras|date=29 January 2022|url=http://www.radioamerica.hn/gobierno-de-venezuela-acredita-formalmente-su-embajadora-en-honduras/|access-date=29 January 2022|work=Radio America Honduras|language=es|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129213446/http://www.radioamerica.hn/gobierno-de-venezuela-acredita-formalmente-su-embajadora-en-honduras/|url-status=live}} who said that if the United States had any uncertainty about Honduras' position, reestablishment of relations with Venezuela "for Honduras is a matter of sovereign foreign policy".{{cite news|title=Gobierno de Xiomara Castro descarta "por el momento" establecer relaciones con China Continental|date=29 January 2022|url=http://www.radioamerica.hn/gobierno-de-xiomara-castro-descarta-por-el-momento-establecer-relaciones-con-china-continental/|access-date=29 January 2022|work=Radio America Honduras|language=es|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129141801/http://www.radioamerica.hn/gobierno-de-xiomara-castro-descarta-por-el-momento-establecer-relaciones-con-china-continental/|url-status=live}}
==Israeli–Palestinian conflict==
Castro announced the recall of the Honduran ambassador from Israel on 4 November 2023, shortly after the country's ministry of foreign affairs stated that "Honduras energetically condemns the genocide and serious violations of international humanitarian law that the civilian Palestinian population is suffering in the Gaza Strip".{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/4296621-these-8-countries-have-pulled-ambassadors-from-israel-amid-hamas-war/ |title=These 8 countries have pulled ambassadors from Israel amid Hamas war |work=The Hill |date=6 November 2023 |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=18 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118142216/https://thehill.com/homenews/4296621-these-8-countries-have-pulled-ambassadors-from-israel-amid-hamas-war/ |url-status=live }}
See also
Notes
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References
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External links
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- {{Wikiquote-inline}}
- [https://www.cidob.org/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_central_y_caribe/honduras/xiomara_castro_de_zelaya Biography by CIDOB]
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Category:20th-century Honduran women
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