Tegucigalpa: Siomara Castro has been sworn in as the first woman president of the Central American country of Honduras. Thousands of Honduran people attended the ceremony on Thursday afternoon at the National Stadium in the capital, Tegucigalpa. The 62-year-old Castro is running for president from the Left Libre Party in the November 28 election.
In his post-swearing-in speech, Castro said that corruption and inequality in Honduras would be eradicated and solutions would be found to alleviate poverty. Castro also promised to address the challenges facing the country, such as unemployment, rising crime and the crisis in the health and education sectors. Representatives from a number of countries, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, attended the ceremony.
Castro came to power at a time when there is still controversy over who will lead the newly elected Honduran National Congress. The day before yesterday, 20 dissident members nominated one of their allies, Jorge Calicus, to be the caretaker President of the Honduran Congress. The Honduran National Congress is the legislative branch of the Honduran government.