Honduran government party candidate supports presidential election | Election News

Nasry Asfura, the ruling party’s candidate for the Honduran elections, has accepted her opposition rival, Xiomara Castro, who will be the country’s first female president and first left-wing leader in 12 years.

Calling Castro an “elected president,” National Party candidate Nasry Asfura said he visited his opponent at his family’s home to congratulate him on winning Sunday’s vote.

“Now I want to say publicly, I congratulate him on his victory,” Asfura said in a video aired on local television, along with photos of the two rivals hugging and smiling.

Castro, whose husband Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a coup in 2009, gained the upper hand in the counting of votes that began after the polls closed on Sunday.

With more than 52% of the vote counted for Tuesday evening, Castro had 53.4% ​​of the vote, compared to 34.1% for Asfura.

Voter turnout was the highest since the country returned to democratic rule in the 1980s after a campaign by Castro to seize the popularity of the incumbent Juan Hernandez. involved in drug trafficking charges In the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Castro on his “historic victory” and said Washington is ready to work with the next government.

“We congratulate Hondurans on the high turnout, peaceful participation and active commitment of civil society that marked these elections, expressing a lasting commitment to the democratic process,” Blinken said in a statement.

“The United States will continue to help Honduras strengthen its democratic institutions, promote economic growth, and fight corruption and transnational crime.”

Castro has promised major changes, including renewing the constitution, seeking support from the United Nations in the fight against corruption, and lifting restrictions on abortion.

He also posted the idea Elimination of diplomatic support for Taiwan On the Chinese side, a political proposal carefully viewed in Washington, Beijing and Taipei.

Analysts say the debate over that change has been going on for a long time.

“The US will certainly persuade Honduras to stay in Taiwan instead of China, given the TAIPEI Act and similar competition with China in the Cold War,” said Yao-Yuan Yen, head of the University’s Department of International Studies and Modern Languages. St. Thomas in the US. “It is therefore difficult to conclude whether a diplomatic change will actually take place for Honduras.”

Castro will face many challenges when he takes office in January with the threat of unemployment, crime, corruption and transnational drug groups, prompting a record number of people to migrate.

Sana Hashmi, a visiting member of the Taipei-based think tank at the Taiwan Exchange Foundation, said that while the situation may be “precarious” for Taiwan, which has only formal diplomatic relations with 15 countries, it may not be calamitous.

“I don’t see it having an impact on Taiwan’s international level,” Hashmi said of the possibility of change. “The pandemic phase has been a disguised blessing for Taiwan to make new friends and strengthen relations with some old partners. Taiwan has gained the support of several liberal democracies in the last two years.”

Castro got a strong showing in Sunday’s election, despite the fact that the European Union’s voting observer mission found that the National Party had used state support to promote its campaign.

The EU mission said the first transmission of the election results helped transparency and trust. But he criticized pre-election political violence and “abuse of state resources,” such as an increase in the distribution of welfare bonds.

“The state media was in favor of the ruling party and the presidential candidate,” said Zeljana Zovko, head of the mission.

The National Party said it would take on the role of “constructive opposition” and appeared ready to work with the next government.

Erin Hal with a report by Taipein