Leftist holds commanding lead in Honduran presidential vote
The Hindu
Opposition candidate and former first lady Xiomara Castro set to become country’s first woman President
Leftist Opposition candidate Xiomara Castro held a commanding lead early on Monday as Hondurans appeared poised to remove the conservative National Party from power after 12 years of continuous rule.
Ms. Castro declared herself the winner despite orders from the National Electoral Council to political parties to await official results. “We win! We win!” Castro, Honduras’ former first lady who is making her third presidential run, told cheering Liberty and Re-foundation party supporters when only a fraction of the ballots had been tallied. “Today the people have obtained justice. We have reversed authoritarianism.” She is set to become the first woman President of Honduras.
The National Party also quickly declared victory for its candidate, Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura, but the early returns were not promising.