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        {"code":"25873","sect":"Central America","sect_slug":"central-america","hits":"972","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202111\/centroamerica\/25873","link_edit":"","name":"Honduras Pivots Left in Bid to Rebuild Country","slug":"honduras-pivots-left-in-bid-to-rebuild-country","info":"Record participation and a 20-point lead for Xiomara Castro defeated fears of a stolen election based on violence during the campaign and past fraud. If confirmed, the results will swing Honduras to the left after 12 years of National Party rule marred by narco-politics and intersecting humanitarian and economic crises.","mtag":"Newsletter","noun":{"html":"El Faro English","data":{"el-faro-english":{"sort":"","slug":"el-faro-english","path":"el_faro_english","name":"El Faro English","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"972","pict":{"cms-image-000036744-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"36744","name":"cms-image-000036744.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036744.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036744.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000036744-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Hundreds gathered at Libre headquarters on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 to celebrate the party's apparent electoral victory in alliance with party Salvador de Honduras. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EHundreds gathered at Libre headquarters on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 to celebrate the party's apparent electoral victory in alliance with party Salvador de Honduras. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000036745-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"36745","name":"cms-image-000036745.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036745.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036745.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000036745-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Vice President-elect Salvador Nasralla (center left), founder of the party Salvador de Honduras (\"Savior of Honduras\"), and President-elect Xiomara Castro (center right), of the party Libre, declared victory at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, while the vote count was still underway. The duo boasted a 20-point lead over the National Party, its closest competitor. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EVice President-elect Salvador Nasralla (center left), founder of the party Salvador de Honduras (\"Savior of Honduras\"), and President-elect Xiomara Castro (center right), of the party Libre, declared victory at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, while the vote count was still underway. The duo boasted a 20-point lead over the National Party, its closest competitor. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000036365-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"36365","name":"cms-image-000036365.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036365.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000036365.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000036365-jpg","text":"","capt":""}},"pict_main__sort":36744,"date":{"live":"2021\/11\/29"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2021","data_post_dateLive_MM":"11","data_post_dateLive_DD":"29","text":"\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESubscribe to our newsletter\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EContrary to what many expected, there was \u003Cstrong\u003Eno election-day violence or blatant fraud in Honduras\u003C\/strong\u003E this time, and thousands peacefully flooded the streets of Tegucigalpa last night to celebrate the victory of leftist Xiomara Castro after a tense presidential race.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA former first lady who campaigned on promises of \"direct democracy,\" rooting out corruption, and ending Honduras\u2019 tradition of narco-politics, Castro will be the first woman president and face the daunting task of breaking with the practices of \u003Cstrong\u003Ecorrupt governments with ties to drug trafficking \u2014 including that of her husband, Manuel Zelaya.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWith 51 percent of votes counted at 6 a.m., Castro, of the leftist Libre party, led with 53 percent. Her strongest opponent, Nasry \u201cTito\u201d Asfura, of the ruling National Party, trailed by 20 points. Liberal Party candidate Yani Rosenthal trailed in third place with nine percent. Participation reached 68 percent, the highest since 1997.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cMs. Castro has received a clear mandate: We want her \u003Cstrong\u003Eto do things differently\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u201d said Honduran political analyst Miguel C\u00e1lix.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1333&ImageId=36744 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Hundreds gathered at Libre headquarters on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 to celebrate the party's apparent electoral victory in alliance with party Salvador de Honduras. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Hundreds gathered at Libre headquarters on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 to celebrate the party's apparent electoral victory in alliance with party Salvador de Honduras. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EInternational observers reported some irregularities including a late start to voting, delayed equipment deliveries, and voters turned away. \u003Cstrong\u003EBoth Libre and the National Party declared themselves winners early in the day\u003C\/strong\u003E, causing concern among international observers, especially because the Honduran Electoral Council (CNE) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CneHonduras\/status\/1465069209222795277\/photo\/1\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Ereported a cyber-attack\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E mid-afternoon against one of its servers. As of Monday morning, the National Party had not conceded, but Castro\u2019s strong lead quashed fears of fraud.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECastro will be Honduras\u2019 first leftist president after 12 years in which the ruling \u003Cstrong\u003ENational Party co-opted democratic institutions and enabled drug trafficking to further penetrate the state\u003C\/strong\u003E. The wife of former president Manuel Zelaya, who was removed from office in a 2009 coup, she led a protest movement in the aftermath and ran for president in 2013 and 2017 with Libre, the party founded and led by Zelaya in 2011 following two years in exile.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cWe turned 12 years of tears and pain into joy. The sacrifice of our martyrs was not in vain,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/XiomaraCastroZ\/status\/1465178119229353986?s=20\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Esaid Castro\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E after 10 p.m., in reference to protestors killed by police following the 2017 elections. \u201cWe will begin an era of prosperity and solidarity through dialogue across society, without discrimination or sectarianism.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u200b\u201dToday isn\u2019t a victory for one political party, but rather for five\u200b parties and the Honduran people against those who have sold out our nation,\u201d Salvador Nasralla \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202111\/centroamerica\/25872\/Salvador-Nasralla-%E2%80%9CNo-podemos-dejar-impune-ni-el-robo-ni-los-asesinatos-de-2017%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Etold El Faro\u2019s Carlos Barrera in a post-election interview\u003C\/a\u003E. \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bHe added: \u201c\u200b\u200bWe can\u2019t forget nor let go unpunished the robbery and murders, nor the martyrs that died in 2017 when we won the elections.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECastro's presidency, which \u003Cstrong\u003Eshe will assume on Jan. 27\u003C\/strong\u003E if the results are certified by the electoral body, comes with the challenge of rooting out corruption, restoring democratic institutions, and pulling the country out of poverty as it still reels from two devastating hurricanes last year. She has promised more social programs, a partial decriminalization of abortion, opening relations with China, and an end to controversial libertarian econonomic zones known as ZEDEs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1333&ImageId=36745 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Vice President-elect Salvador Nasralla (center left), founder of the party Salvador de Honduras (\"Savior of Honduras\"), and President-elect Xiomara Castro (center right), of the party Libre, declared victory at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, while the vote count was still underway. The duo boasted a 20-point lead over the National Party, its closest competitor. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Vice President-elect Salvador Nasralla (center left), founder of the party Salvador de Honduras (\"Savior of Honduras\"), and President-elect Xiomara Castro (center right), of the party Libre, declared victory at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, while the vote count was still underway. The duo boasted a 20-point lead over the National Party, its closest competitor. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHer win is \u201cnot a blank check,\u201d said C\u00e1lix, and citizens will be closely scrutinizing her actions. \u201cThey\u2019ll have to look in the mirror,\u201d he said. \u201cThey criticized many actions as anti-democratic, and they have to be careful to not do the same.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA last-minute alliance with another leading opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, who many Hondurans believe was the legitimate winner of the 2017 elections, injected spirit into her campaign, but also raised \u003Cstrong\u003Equestions about how the opposition parties will share power\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-92f65ed8-7fff-006b-04ab-de7847b94eb5\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cIt will be a very complicated administration, not only because of the composition of the [governing] alliance but because it is facing a ravaged country,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarchaOrgAr\/status\/1465004845425848322?s=20\"\u003Esaid\u003C\/a\u003E Miriam Miranda, director of the Fraternal Organization of Black Hondurans (OFRANEH). \u201cIf Xiomara or the opposition fail to generate some form of consensus across society, it will be impossible to move forward.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFor now, Juan Carlos Sikaffy, president of the largest business association in Honduras, congratulated Castro on her win: \u201cFrom COHEP we reiterate our commitment to working jointly in the economic recovery that will permit the generation of dignified and inclusive work,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/presidentecohep\/status\/1465356666141085707?s=20\"\u003Ehe tweeted\u003C\/a\u003E Monday morning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdi\u00f3s, JOH\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAs Libre supporters celebrated at party headquarters Sunday night, one song excited them more than others. \u201cWhere is Juanchi going?\u201d the singer asked, referring to President Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez by his nickname.\u00a0 \u201cJuanchi is going to New York,\u201d they chanted back.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe lyrics point out \u003Cstrong\u003EHern\u00e1ndez\u2019s potential extradition to the U.S.\u003C\/strong\u003E on drug trafficking charges and that he could eventually face the same fate as his brother, who was convicted for drug trafficking in a New York court in 2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHern\u00e1ndez has been a polarizing figure in Honduras, and these elections were largely seen as a referendum on his unpopular presidency, although he was not on the ballot. Hondurans driving through Tegucigalpa Sunday night rolled down their windows to scream \u201cFuera JOH\u201d or \u201cOut Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHern\u00e1ndez\u2019s reelection in 2017 was largely seen as fraudulent because of a constitutional ban that he sidestepped to remain in power. Hern\u00e1ndez even trailed opponent Salvador Nasralla during the vote count until, after a day-long system outage, JOH pulled ahead. The post-electoral crisis in 2017 contributed to growing migration from Honduras, with many fleeing in migrant caravans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EDrug trafficking allegations against Hern\u00e1ndez further strained the relationship with the U.S., particularly after Trump left office. (In the same case, \u003Cstrong\u003Ea high level drug trafficker also testified that Manuel Zelaya took bribes from drug traffickers.\u003C\/strong\u003E) Biden administration officials visiting Honduras have chosen to meet with civil society, rather than with Hern\u00e1ndez himself. Some members of Congress even began openly calling Honduras a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/normajtorres\/status\/1369431287900045315\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Enarco-state\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWith an opposition party in power, Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s future is unclear. In recent weeks he has visited Nicaragua, where two Salvadoran presidents received asylum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEven without JOH, \u003Cstrong\u003Ethe National Party remains a strong political force with a clientelist system\u003C\/strong\u003E that keeps a significant part of the electorate loyal. If Libre fails to secure a majority in Congress, it may be forced to make major governing concessions to the National Party.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInternational caution\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMany voters Sunday said they hoped international observers, and particularly the U.S. Embassy, would ensure a fair election by rejecting results in the event of fraud. By Monday morning, the U.S. State Department had not yet recognized the official winner. International observers including the European Union and Organization of American States called for Hondurans to wait for the electoral council to declare the results.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe night before the elections, Salvadoran President Nayib \u003Cstrong\u003EBukele urged Hondurans not to vote for the National Party\u003C\/strong\u003E after right-wing Salvadoran party ARENA issued a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ARENAOFICIAL\/status\/1464736209004109829\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Estatement\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E supporting Asfura.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cI wasn\u2019t going to say anything about the elections in Honduras, but I recommend to my Honduran siblings that they do exactly the OPPOSITE of what ARENA says,\u201d he \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nayibbukele\/status\/1464810502211706880\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Etweeted\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cNothing that ARENA recommends can be good. We proved it with three decades of looting and death in El Salvador.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMel Zelaya replied by \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/manuelzr\/status\/1464816478373527556\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003Ethanking\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E Bukele for his \u201ccourage.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s unclear how Libre\u2019s triumph will alter the region\u2019s political map, where the closest left-wing models are the AMLO administration in Mexico and that of Ortega in Nicaragua. Salvadoran journalist Cecibel Romero recalled on Sunday night the close ties between Zelaya and Nicaragua and Venezuela. When he returned from exile in 2011, he arrived on a Venezuelan flight from Nicaragua, despite having spent the two years since the coup in the Dominican Republic. On board with him were Xiomara Castro and then-foreign minister Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cShe\u2019s going to have \u003Cstrong\u003Eto define a governing style\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u201d said MIguel C\u00e1lix. \u201cPeople hope that it is her own style, learning from the errors of the past.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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