Central America
Opposition candidate takes big lead in Honduras presidential poll
AFP
Left-wing opposition candidate Xiomara Castro took a commanding lead over the ruling party’s Nasry Asfura in Honduras’ presidential election on Sunday, preliminary results showed.
With 40 percent of votes counted, former first lady Castro had taken almost 53.5 percent with the National Party’s Asfura a distant second out of 13 candidates with 34 percent, according to a National Electoral Council (CNE) live count.
Castro, whose husband Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a coup in 2009, is hoping to become the first female president of Honduras.
The news sparked scenes of celebration in the capital Tegucigalpa, with supporters setting off fireworks and honking their horns.
“Good night, we’ve won,” said Castro, addressing her supporters.
It was a far cry from the deadly protests that broke out four years ago when Juan Orlando Hernandez won a second successive term amid accusations of fraud. More than 30 people died as authorities cracked down on a month-long protest.
Reports of intimidation and violence in the buildup to this election led to fears the vote could spark fresh unrest.
Castro and Asfura both called for calm as they cast their votes, but the National Party (PN) leadership broke election rules by declaring victory less than an hour after polls opened, earning a rebuke from the European Union observer mission.
CNE president Kelvin Aguirre said “historic” numbers had voted, with a turnout of 62 percent of 5.2 million registered voters.
– ‘Not one drop of blood’ –
The opposition had expressed fears the poll could be rigged to keep the PN in power, which would almost inevitably prompt street protests.
Political analyst Raul Pineda, a former PN legislator, predicted a defeat for Castro, even a legitimate one, would trigger violence.
“We want this to be a civic event, in peace and tranquility,” said Castro as she voted.
“Peace and tranquility are priceless, and listen to me well: not one drop of blood is worth it,” added Asfura, the outgoing mayor of Tegucigalpa.
But residents of the capital were on tenterhooks.
“It’s worrying,” Luis Gomez, 26, told AFP from the gang-ridden Tegucigalpa neighborhood of La Sosa. “I live day to day (and) it would hurt us if there were disturbances.”
The country has been hit hard by gang violence, drug trafficking and hurricanes, with 59 percent of the 10 million people living in poverty.
Washington has been keeping a close eye on the election.
Honduras has been the starting point for a wave of migrant caravans trying to reach the United States.
Pineda said Washington had put pressure on Honduran authorities to ensure a free and transparent vote to avoid the trouble that broke out in 2017.
Some 18,000 police and as many soldiers are on duty nationwide.
Voting took place calmly in the capital.
“Regardless of who wins, we’re brothers, we’re all Hondurans and need to respect each other,” said Leonel Pena, 57, a carpenter in a poor neighborhood.
After almost a dozen years of PN rule, many voters said it was time for change.
“We’ve tried this government for 12 years and things have gone from bad to worse,” said Gomez. “We hope for something new.”
– ‘No narco-states, only narco-governments’ –
The PN has been in power since Zelaya was ousted in a 2009 coup supported by the military, business elites and the political right.
Corruption and drug-trafficking scandals have engulfed Hernandez and many in his inner circle.
“Honduras is internationally known as a narco-state. But there are no narco-states, only narco-governments,” said analyst Pineda.
Hernandez’s brother Tony is serving a life sentence in a US prison for drug trafficking.
Drug barons who the president helped extradite to the US have accused him of involvement in the illicit trade.
Asfura was accused in 2020 of embezzling $700,000 of public money, and the so-called Pandora Papers linked him to influence-peddling in Costa Rica.
The third major candidate in the presidential race, the Liberal Party’s Yani Rosenthal, spent three years in a US jail for money laundering.
He scored just nine percent in preliminary results.
“No more power will be abused in this country,” vowed Castro.
For many voters, the main issue was jobs.
“I want prosperity for us, employment, education,” said Elizabeth Romero, 75, a domestic worker from La Sosa.
Unemployment jumped from 5.7 percent in 2019 to 10.9 percent in 2020, largely because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by the Autonomous University.
The country was also ravaged by two hurricanes in 2020.
As well as the president, Hondurans voted to elect the 28 members of the National Congress and 20 representatives of the Central American parliament.
Central America
Guatemala cracks down on prison corruption with over 20 raids in recent weeks
The Guatemalan government warned on Monday that it will not tolerate corruption within the prison system, highlighting that more than 20 raids conducted in recent weeks have helped regain control over its penitentiaries.
“We will not tolerate any acts of corruption from our personnel,” said José Portillo, Deputy Minister of Security at the Ministry of the Interior, during a press conference.
According to Portillo, 21 raids were carried out in the last 15 days with support from security forces across the penitentiary system, and a total of 140 raids have been conducted so far in 2025.
These operations have resulted in the confiscation of dozens of household appliances and cell phones, as well as weapons and other prohibited items inside the prisons.
“We are firmly controlling bribery and corruption,” emphasized the recently appointed deputy minister, adding that “we will be strong and decisive within the penitentiary system.”
Portillo explained that the purpose of these raids is to tackle structural causes within prisons, which are the origin of much of the violence affecting the Central American country, including contract killings and extortions.
He stated that the recent operations have helped reduce crime and identify “hot spots” in the country.
“We are impacting criminal structures,” the official said.
Data released on June 6 by the Director of the National Civil Police, David Custodio Boteo, reported 1,385 homicides in the first five months of the year, representing a 15 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Experts on the subject point out that thousands of Guatemalan merchants fall victim to extortions that originate precisely within the prisons.
Central America
First woman elected president in the Americas, Violeta Chamorro, dead at 95
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, former president of Nicaragua and the first woman in the Americas to be democratically elected head of state, passed away this Saturday in Costa Rica at the age of 95. A pivotal figure in Nicaragua’s transition to democracy, Chamorro achieved a historic victory over Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega in the 1990 elections, heading a broad opposition coalition.
The Chamorro Barrios family confirmed her death in a statement:
“Our mother, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, former president of Nicaragua, passed away today, June 14, 2025, at 2:21 a.m. (08:21 GMT) in San José, Costa Rica, at the age of 95, after a long illness.”
“Doña Violeta died peacefully, surrounded by the love and affection of her children and the extraordinary care of those who looked after her. She is now in the peace of the Lord,” her children Pedro Joaquín, Claudia Lucía, Cristiana, and Carlos Fernando Chamorro Barrios wrote.
Chamorro’s victory in 1990 marked a significant turning point in Central American politics, ending more than a decade of Sandinista rule and initiating a fragile but hopeful democratic chapter in Nicaragua’s history.
Central America
Nicaraguan exile coalition urges Costa Rica to receive U.S. deportees fleeing Ortega regime
The Coalition of Nicaraguans in Exile urged Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves on Sunday to receive opponents and critics of the Ortega-Murillo regime currently residing in the United States who may be deported by the administration of Donald Trump.
“We appeal to you, Mr. President, to kindly consider, as an act of humanity and in accordance with the principles of international refugee law, the reopening of entry and temporary reception pathways for Nicaraguan citizens deported from the United States,” the coalition stated in a letter addressed to Chaves.
They specifically requested the reopening of entry for those Nicaraguans who had previously sought asylum or refugee status in Costa Rica and who express a well-founded fear for their lives and personal safety if returned to Nicaragua.
The organization, which identifies itself as committed to defending and promoting the human rights of Nicaraguans “forced into exile by the repression of the Sandinista dictatorship,” expressed its appeal with “urgency and deep concern.”
In the letter, the coalition emphasized the dramatic situation faced by thousands of Nicaraguans who fled political persecution under Daniel Ortega’s regime and are now at risk of deportation from the United States.
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