Xiomara Castro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xiomara Castro
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Castro in 2023
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| 39th President of Honduras | |
| Assumed office 27 January 2022 |
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| Vice President | Salvador Nasralla (until 2024) Doris Gutiérrez Renato Florentino |
| Preceded by | Juan Orlando Hernández |
| 13th President pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States | |
| Assumed office 4 March 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Ralph Gonsalves |
| Member of the National Popular Resistance Front | |
| In office 28 June 2009 – 26 June 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Front established |
| Succeeded by | Front dissolved |
| First Lady of Honduras | |
| In role 27 January 2006 – 28 June 2009 |
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| President | Manuel Zelaya |
| Preceded by | Aguas Ocaña |
| Succeeded by | Siomara Girón |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento
30 September 1959 Santa Bárbara, Honduras |
| Political party | Liberty and Refoundation (2011–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal Party (until 2011) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Xiomara |
Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento (born 30 September 1959), known as Xiomara Castro, is a Honduran politician and businesswoman. She became the 39th president of Honduras in January 2022. She is the first female president of Honduras. Before becoming president, she served as the First Lady when her husband, Manuel Zelaya, was president.
Castro earned a degree in business administration. She grew up in Tegucigalpa, the capital city. In 1976, she married Manuel Zelaya. She then became active in the women's group of the Liberal Party of Honduras. When her husband became president in 2006, she became the country's First Lady. After her husband was removed from office in 2009, Castro became a leader in the movement against the change. This movement later formed the political party called Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE).
She ran for president several times. In 2013, she was the candidate for the LIBRE party and came in second. In 2017, she was the running mate for Salvador Nasralla. Finally, in the 2021 Honduran general election, she won the presidency. She is the first president not from the two main parties since democracy returned to Honduras in 1982. In 2023, Forbes magazine listed her among the "World's 100 most powerful women".
Early Life and Community Work
Xiomara Castro is the second of five children. She went to primary and secondary school in Tegucigalpa. In January 1976, she married Manuel Zelaya. They made their home in Catacamas, Olancho.
Castro was very active in community groups. She helped the Association of Spouses of Members of the Rotary Club in Catacamas. She also worked on projects to help children in need in the Olancho area. She helped create a Children's Daily Care Center in Catacamas. This center aimed to support single-parent families, especially those led by women. It helped them with basic cleaning, growing vegetables, and flower farming to create jobs.
Political Journey
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In Catacamas, Castro helped organize the women's section of the Liberal Party of Honduras. She also supported her husband's campaign in 2005. As First Lady of Honduras, she led social development programs. She worked with the United Nations and other first ladies to help women facing health challenges.
After her husband was removed from office in the coup d'état on 28 June 2009, she led protests against it. She joined thousands of Hondurans in the streets, asking for her husband's return. This movement became known as the National Front of Popular Resistance (FNRP). It later formed the political party Libre.
Running for President
2013 Election
On 1 July 2012, Castro officially started her campaign for president. She won her party's primary election in November 2012. In June 2013, she was chosen to represent Libre in the 2013 Honduran general election. She spoke out against certain economic policies and the military's role in society. She also wanted a special assembly to write a new constitution for Honduras.
Before the election, she was leading in polls for many months. However, she finished second to Juan Orlando Hernández of the National Party of Honduras. Castro received 896,498 votes (28.78%). This election was important because Libre became the second-largest party in Congress.
2017 Election
For the 2017 Honduran general election, Castro again wanted to be Libre's candidate. She won her party's primary easily. But when Libre joined forces with another party, she stepped aside. She let Salvador Nasralla lead their combined presidential ticket.
The alliance was ahead in early results. However, a power outage stopped the counting for 36 hours. When it restarted, the results changed, and President Juan Orlando Hernández was re-elected. This led to many people claiming the election was unfair. Protests followed, and some people were injured or arrested.
2021 Election
Castro was chosen as the 2021 presidential candidate for Libre. Salvador Nasralla, who was running for another party, later joined her campaign as her running mate. Polls showed a close race between Castro and her opponent, Nasry Asfura. During her campaign, she suggested forming official ties with the People's Republic of China. She also proposed creating a special commission, supported by the United Nations, to fight corruption. Castro also wanted to update the Honduran Constitution.
After the first results came out on 29 November, Castro declared victory. International news reported her as the likely winner. The next day, her opponent's party accepted defeat. He met with Castro and congratulated her. Xiomara Castro became Honduras' first female president on 27 January 2022.
Congressional Leadership Dispute (2022)
Before the 2021 election, Castro had promised Salvador Nasralla that his party would lead the National Congress if they won. This promise helped Nasralla decide to join her campaign. However, on 21 January 2022, 20 members of Castro's Libre party did not follow this agreement. They voted for another Libre member, Jorge Cálix, to be the congressional president. The rest of the Libre members and their allies voted for Luis Redondo, as agreed.
A disagreement broke out in Congress. Castro refused to accept Cálix's election. She called the 20 members "traitors" and removed 18 of them from Libre. She held a gathering with her supporters outside Congress. She said the goal was to stop the "kidnapping" of the National Congress. The dispute ended when Cálix and the removed Libre members agreed to support Redondo. Castro then allowed them to rejoin the party.
Presidency (2022–Present)
Castro became president on 27 January 2022. Her inauguration took place at the Tegucigalpa National Soccer Stadium. Thousands of people attended, including leaders from other countries. Among them were King Felipe VI of Spain, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Vice President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te.
Castro is the first female President of Honduras. She is also the first president not from the National or Liberal parties since 1982. In her first speech, Castro promised to fight corruption and inequality. She said these issues were widespread under the previous government. Her government also asked the United Nations for help in setting up an international commission to fight corruption.
The Supreme Court, whose members were chosen by past governments, has disagreed with some of her reform plans.
Economic Plans
In her first speech, Castro promised to build a "democratic socialist" state. She said her goal was to restore an economic system based on fairness and efficiency. She believes that people should come before market rules.
In February 2022, she stepped in to resolve a land dispute. A businessman owned land and wanted to remove indigenous people to build homes. Castro stopped the eviction, prioritizing the well-being of the indigenous community.
In March 2022, she banned open-pit mining. This was because of the serious damage it causes to the environment. Her government also promised to protect areas important for the environment.
In May 2022, Castro began to remove Honduras' special economic zones. The previous government had created these zones.
In May 2023, her government introduced a new tax law. This law aims to remove tax breaks and special benefits for some businesses. Some farmers protested because it would remove their tax rebates.
During a visit to China in June 2023, Castro applied for Honduras to join the New Development Bank. This bank is also known as the BRICS Development Bank. She believes it will help Honduras' economy and improve living standards.
Energy Policy
To help fight poverty, Castro announced a new energy plan. The poorest families in Honduras, who use less than 150kWh of electricity each month, will no longer pay electricity bills. The cost of this will be covered by larger electricity users, who will pay a bit more. Castro also announced that her government would propose a fuel subsidy. She promised no more special deals for companies to use rivers, water sources, or national parks.
Financial Policy
In her first speech, Castro said that a large part of her government's budget would go to salaries and wages. She also told her finance minister and the Central Bank to work on lowering interest rates for businesses.
Security Policy
On 25 November 2022, a state of emergency was declared to deal with crime. This emergency measure started in two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. It has since been extended to more than half of the country's cities. The government has increased police resources and built new high-security prisons. They also allowed security forces and the military to be on the streets to help the police.
The number of killings has decreased. However, some experts say this reduction might not be directly because of the state of emergency. The government's security plans are also facing challenges in Parliament, where Castro's party does not have a majority.
Foreign Relations
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Relations with China and Taiwan
During her campaign, Castro promised to switch Honduras' official ties from Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People's Republic of China. Taiwan's Vice President attended Castro's inauguration. On 14 March 2023, Castro told her foreign minister to end ties with Taiwan. The goal was to establish official relations with the People's Republic of China. By the end of March, Honduras and China formally established diplomatic ties. They also appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals.
Castro stated that her decision was partly due to outside pressure, especially regarding Taiwan in Central America.
Relations with Venezuela
Soon after Castro became president, the Venezuelan embassy in Tegucigalpa was taken over by representatives of the Nicolás Maduro government. The previous Honduran president had recognized a different leader for Venezuela. The Foreign Ministers of Honduras and Venezuela then announced that diplomatic relations between their countries were restored. This was the first time since 2009.
Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
On 4 November 2023, Castro announced that Honduras would recall its ambassador from Israel. This decision came after Honduras' foreign ministry strongly condemned the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
See also
- List of presidents of Honduras
