Voice of America
28 Jan 2022, 03:35 GMT+10
WASHINGTON - Xiomara Castro was sworn in as the first female president in Honduras on Thursday, a ceremony witnessed by thousands of people amid a sea of waving flags in the national stadium in the capital of Tegucigalpa.
Castro immediately faces multiple challenges: high unemployment, persistent violence, corruption and troubled health care and educational systems, along with pressure from the United States to make life better for Hondurans to curb their desire to make the long overland trek north through Mexico to try to migrate to the United States.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, tasked by President Joe Biden to try to mitigate the root causes of migration from the Central American nations of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to the U.S., attended the inauguration and was set to meet with Castro a short time later.
Chief among the concerns of many in the region are crime, poverty and official corruption, leading thousands over recent years to decide that the dangerous trip north and the uncertainty of getting into the U.S. is nonetheless worth the chance.
Castro has said she plans to formally invite the United Nations to set up an anti-corruption mission in Honduras.
The U.S., looking to gain an ally in the region, has strongly supported Castro.
Biden pledged to adopt a more humane stance on migration than that of his immediate predecessor, Donald Trump, who sent migrants back to their home countries and separated children from their families.
No media source currently available
But Biden's eased migration policies have led thousands in Central America to view it as an invitation to migrate to the U.S., with uncertain outcomes when they reach the U.S.-Mexican border.
Castro won on her third try for the presidency. She was previously first lady during the presidency of her husband, Manuel Zelaya, which was cut short by a military coup in 2009.
Some information for this report came from the Associated Press.
Get a daily dose of Vietnam Tribune news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Vietnam Tribune.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump says the United States could soon reach a trade deal with India. He believes this deal would...
Nearly three months after a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, the country remains trapped in a deepening crisis, compounded by...
Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 7 (ANI): Assam Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker and senior BJP leader Numal Momin has launched a...
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 7 (ANI): Jyoti Malhotra, a 33-year-old vlogger from Haryana recently arrested on charges...
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday accused former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi...
Moga (Punjab) [India], July 7 (ANI): In Punjab's Moga District, a doctor named Dr Aniljit Kamboj was attacked by people who came to...
ROME, Italy: Quick thinking by emergency responders helped prevent greater devastation after a gas station explosion in southeastern...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...
MOSCOW, Russia: This week, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan since...
CAIRO, Egypt: This week, both Hamas and Israel shared their views ahead of expected peace talks about a new U.S.-backed ceasefire plan....
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...