Xiomara Castro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xiomara Castro
|
|
|---|---|
Castro in 2023
|
|
| 39th President of Honduras | |
| Assumed office 27 January 2022 |
|
| Vice President | Salvador Nasralla (until 2024) Doris Gutiérrez Renato Florentino |
| Preceded by | Juan Orlando Hernández |
| Acting Minister of National Defense | |
| Assumed office 27 May 2025 |
|
| President | Herself |
| Preceded by | Rixi Moncada |
| 13th President pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States | |
| In office 4 March 2024 – 9 April 2025 |
|
| Preceded by | Ralph Gonsalves |
| Succeeded by | Gustavo Petro |
| First Lady of Honduras | |
| In role 27 January 2006 – 28 June 2009 |
|
| 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 has been the 39th president of Honduras since 2022. She is the first woman to become president of Honduras. Before her presidency, she was the First Lady when her husband, Manuel Zelaya, was president.
Castro grew up in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. She studied business administration. After marrying in 1976, she became active in the women's group of the Liberal Party of Honduras. She became the country's First Lady in 2006. This happened after her husband won the presidential election in 2005.
In 2009, her husband was removed from power in a political event. Castro then became a leader in a movement that called for his return. This movement later became the political party called Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE).
She ran for president several times. In 2013, she was the presidential candidate for the LIBRE party. She came in second place in that election. In 2017, she was the running mate for another candidate, Salvador Nasralla. They narrowly lost that election. Finally, in the 2021 Honduran general election, Castro was elected president. She defeated Nasry Asfura and made history as the first woman president of Honduras. She is also the first president from outside the two main political parties since 1982. In 2023, she was recognized by Forbes as one of the world's 100 most powerful women.
Early Life and Community Work
Xiomara Castro was born on 30 September 1959 in Santa Bárbara, Honduras. She was the second of five children. In January 1976, she married Manuel Zelaya. They made their home in Catacamas, Olancho Department.
Castro was very active in her community. 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 department. 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 offered projects like basic cleaning, growing vegetables, and floriculture to help people develop job skills.
Starting in Politics
_(cropped).jpg)
In Catacamas, Castro organized the women's group of the Liberal Party of Honduras. She campaigned to support her husband in the 2005 elections. As the First Lady of Honduras, she led social development programs. She also worked with the United Nations and other first ladies to help women facing health challenges.
After her husband was removed from power in 2009, she became a key leader in the movement against this action. She often joined thousands of Hondurans in the streets. They called for her husband's return. This movement later became the political party called Libre.
Running for President
The 2013 Election
On 1 July 2012, Xiomara Castro officially began her campaign for president. She won her party's primary election on 18 November 2012. On 16 June 2013, she was officially chosen to represent Libre in the 2013 Honduran general election. She spoke out against certain economic policies and the increased presence of the military in society. She also campaigned for a new constitution for Honduras.
Before the election, she was often leading in the polls. However, she finished in second place. The winner was Juan Orlando Hernández from the National Party of Honduras. This election was important because it was the first time the Libre party gained the second-highest number of seats in Congress.
The 2017 Election
For the 2017 Honduran general election, Castro again sought to be Libre's candidate. She easily won her party's primary. However, when Libre formed an alliance with another party, she agreed to step aside. She let Salvador Nasralla lead the alliance's presidential ticket.
The alliance was ahead in early election results. But then, there was a long pause in counting votes. When counting restarted, the results changed. President Juan Orlando Hernández was re-elected. This led to concerns about the election results. Many people protested, and there were some sad events with people getting hurt or arrested.
The 2021 Election
Castro was chosen as the 2021 presidential candidate for Libre. Salvador Nasralla, who was running for president with another party, later joined her campaign as her running mate. Polls showed a very close race between Castro and her opponent, Nasry Asfura. He was the mayor of a city and a member of the ruling National Party.
During her campaign, Castro suggested that Honduras should recognize the People's Republic of China instead of Republic of China (Taiwan). She also proposed creating an anti-corruption commission with help from the United Nations. Another idea was to update the Honduran Constitution.
After the first election results were shared on 29 November, Castro declared victory. International news outlets also reported that she appeared to be the winner. The next day, her opponent, Nasry Asfura, accepted defeat. He met with Castro and congratulated her. Xiomara Castro became Honduras' first female president on 27 January 2022.
2022 Congressional Leadership Dispute
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 Castro's campaign. However, in January 2022, some members of Castro's own party did not agree with this plan. They voted for a different person to be the congressional president.
This disagreement led to a brief conflict in Congress. Castro said she would not recognize the election of the other person. She called the members who went against the agreement "traitors." She even removed some of them from her party. Later, the dispute was resolved. The members who had disagreed agreed to support the original plan. Castro then allowed them back into her party.
Key Actions as President
Xiomara Castro became president on 27 January 2022. Her inauguration ceremony took place at the Tegucigalpa National Soccer Stadium. Thousands of people attended, including leaders from other countries. These included the King of Spain, the Vice President of Taiwan, and the Vice President of the U.S.
As the first female President of Honduras, Castro also broke a long tradition. She was the first president since 1982 who was not from the National or Liberal parties. In her first speech, she promised to fight against unfairness and problems that had affected the country for a long time.
Her government asked the United Nations for help in setting up an international commission to fight against corruption. She also sent her predecessor, Juan Orlando Hernández, to another country to face legal questions. She said this was because of problems within Honduras' justice system.
Helping the Economy
In her first speech, Castro promised to build a fair economic system. She said her goal was to have an economy that was open, worked well, and shared wealth fairly. She believes that people are more important than market rules.
In February 2022, she stepped in to help indigenous people. They were facing eviction from land that a businessman owned. She stopped the eviction, prioritizing the well-being of the indigenous community.
In March 2022, she banned open-pit mining. This was because of the harm it caused to the environment. Her government also promised to protect areas that are very important for the environment.
In May 2022, her government began to get rid of special economic zones. The previous government had created these zones. In May 2023, a new law was introduced to change the tax system. This law aimed to make taxes fairer by removing special benefits for some businesses.
In June 2023, Castro visited China. While there, she applied for Honduras to join the New Development Bank. This bank is also known as the BRICS Development Bank. She hoped this would help Honduras' economy grow and improve people's lives.
During her time in office, Honduras has seen some economic growth. The government has also managed to control rising prices. One of her biggest achievements has been a significant reduction in poverty.
Energy for Everyone
To help people struggling with poverty, Castro made an important announcement. She said that the poorest families in Honduras would no longer have to pay electricity bills. These are families that use less than 150kWh of electricity each month. The cost for this would be covered by larger electricity users paying a bit more on their bills. She also announced a plan to reduce fuel costs. She promised that her government would not allow new projects that exploit rivers, water sources, or national parks.
Managing Money
In her first speech, Castro told the country that a large part of her government's budget would go towards salaries and wages. She also instructed her Minister of Finance and the Central Bank to work on lowering interest rates. This was to help businesses and production in the country.
Improving Safety
On 25 November 2022, special security measures were put in place to deal with crime. These measures started in two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. They were later extended to many more cities across the country. The government increased police resources and built new high-security prisons. They also allowed security forces and the military to be deployed in the streets to support the police.
The crime rate in Honduras has improved. The number of serious crimes per 100,000 people decreased from 38 in 2022 to 31 in 2023. This was a drop of 17%. By 2025, the country's safety levels had improved significantly, reaching their best point in thirty years. This was especially true in large cities like San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, where crime was reduced by more than half.
International Relations
.jpg)
Relations with Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
In February 2022, Honduras met with the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. They announced that diplomatic relations between the two nations had been restored and would become stronger.
Relations with Taiwan and China
During her campaign, Castro promised to change Honduras' official recognition from Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People's Republic of China. In March 2023, she instructed her foreign minister to cut ties with Taiwan. This was to establish formal relations with the People's Republic of China as the only Chinese state. By the end of March, Honduras and China officially established diplomatic ties. They also appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals. Castro mentioned that her decision was partly due to outside pressure and a desire to strengthen relations with China.
Relations with Venezuela
Soon after Castro became president, Honduras restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela. This was the first time since 2009 that the two nations had official ties. The Venezuelan embassy in Tegucigalpa was returned to representatives of the Nicolás Maduro government. This move was welcomed by former President Manuel Zelaya, who spoke about Latin American unity.
Stance on Middle East Conflict
In November 2023, Castro announced that Honduras was recalling its ambassador from Israel. The Honduran foreign ministry stated that Honduras strongly condemned the harm and serious violations of international law that civilians were experiencing in the Gaza Strip.
See also
In Spanish: Xiomara Castro para niños
- List of current heads of state and government
- List of heads of the executive by approval rating
- List of presidents of Honduras
