Honduras' ruling party candidate concedes presidential election
-
Loading... - Joan Davidson
- 01 Dec 2021
- 563 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Nasry Asfura, the ruling party candidate in the Honduras election, has conceded to his opposition rival, Xiomara Castro, who will become the country’s first female president and the country’s first left-wing leader in 12 years.
Calling Castro “president elect”, National Party contender Nasry Asfura said he visited his opponent at her family home to offer his congratulations for winning Sunday’s vote.
“Now I want to say publicly, I congratulate her on her victory,” Asfura said in a video broadcast on local television, alongside photos of the two rivals hugging and smiling.
Castro, whose husband Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a coup in 2009, built a commanding lead in the vote count that began after the polls closed on Sunday.
With more than 52 percent of votes counted by Tuesday evening, Castro had 53.4 percent support, compared with 34.1 percent for Asfura.
Voter turnout was at its highest since the country returned to democratic rule in the 1980s, after a campaign where Castro seized on the unpopularity of incumbent Juan Hernandez who has been implicated in drug trafficking charges in the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Castro on her “historic victory” and said Washington was ready to work with the incoming government.
“We congratulate Hondurans for the high voter turnout, peaceful participation, and active civil society engagement that marked this election, signaling an enduring commitment to the democratic process,” Blinken said in a statement.
“The United States will continue to support Honduras in strengthening its democratic institutions, promoting economic growth, and fighting corruption and transnational crime.”
Castro has promised big changes, including a constitutional overhaul, seeking United Nations support in the fight against corruption, and loosening abortion restrictions. Read More…
