MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

First woman President of Honduras says debt needs restructuring

“No more death squads. No more silence in the face of femicides. No more hired killers. No more drug trafficking or organized crime,” President Castro also promised.

Xiomara Castro has taken the oath of office Thursday during a ceremony at Tegucigalpa's National Stadium, thus becoming the first woman ever to reach the Presidency of Honduras.

During her first day at the helm of the country, she pointed out it would ne nearly impossible to meet nearing maturities and that the nation's debt needed to be renegotiated.

Castro, wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, said that ”starting today (Jan. 27) the people rule in Honduras.“ The leftwing leader of the Free Party also posted on Twitter that ”12 years of struggle and 12 years of resistance“ had passed since her husband was overthrown by a coup d'etat in 2009:

”Let's leave the dark past behind to be born again and show the world what we really are. Together we will make our Homeland even greater,“ the new President added.

After the ceremony, Castro held a private meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was among the guests of honor who attended the presidential inauguration.

Harris had said her visit was ”an opportunity for our two nations to deepen cooperation on key issues, from the fight against corruption to the economic recovery.“

President Castro addressed her condition as the first woman to hold that office: ”It has been 200 years since independence was proclaimed. We are breaking chains. We are breaking traditions.”

She also underlined she was receiving a country in bankruptcy and that the people needed to know what previous administrations did “with the money and where the 20 million dollars they took out in loans are.” The new head of state also said it was almost impossible to meet impending foreign debt maturities, unless ”a comprehensive restructuring process through an agreement with private and public creditors“ is reached.

“My government will not continue the maelstrom of looting. We must uproot the corruption of the 12 years of dictatorship. We have the right to refound ourselves on sovereign values, not on usury and agiotage”, she added.

”We have a duty to restore the economic system based on transparency, efficiency, production, and social justice in the distribution of wealth and national income,“ she went on.

”No more death squads. No more silence in the face of femicides. No more hired killers. No more drug trafficking or organized crime,” President Castro also promised.