Hondurans vote for president as leftist contender vies to end conservative rule

Xiomara Castro, presidential candidate of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE) casts her vote in Catacamas
Xiomara Castro, presidential candidate of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), casts her vote during the general elections in Catacamas, Honduras November 28, 2021. REUTERS/ Jose Cabezas

By David Alire Garcia and Gustavo Palencia

TEGUCIGALPA – Hondurans headed to the polls on Sunday to pick a new president, with leftist candidate Xiomara Castro hoping to oust the right-wing National Party, whose 12-year rule has been beset by graft scandals, chronic unemployment and waves of fleeing migrants.

If she wins, Castro would become the first female president in Honduras. Her victory would mark the left’s return to power for the first time since her husband former President Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a 2009 coup.