TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) тАФ Fears that another bitterly disputed presidential election might plunge Honduras back into chaos and violence eased Tuesday night when the ruling party conceded defeat to the opposition candidate.
With that, it appeared that Honduras may not only enjoy a peaceful transition, but will also have its first female president, the leftist Xiomara Castro.
Nasry Asfura, the presidential candidate of the ruling National Party, said in a statement that he had personally congratulated Ms. Castro, meeting with her and her family.
тАЬNow I want to say it publicly: that I congratulate her for her victory,тАЭ said Mr. Asfura, the conservative mayor of Tegucigalpa. тАЬAnd as president-elect, I hope that God illuminates and guides her so that her administration does the best for the benefit of all of us Hondurans, to achieve development and the desire for democracy.тАЭ
Ms. Castro had 53 percent of the vote and Mr. Asfura 34 percent, with 52 percent of the ballots counted, according to the National Electoral Council. The council has 30 days from the election to declare a winner.
Even before the concession, Castro supporters had been celebrating.
Thousands of Hondurans poured into the streets the day after the vote Sunday to cheer what they believed was Ms. CastroтАЩs insurmountable lead, shooting fireworks and singing тАЬJ.O.H., J.O.H., and away you go,тАЭ a reference to the deeply unpopular outgoing President Juan Orlando Hern├бndez.
The outcome appeared to be a stunning repudiation of the National PartyтАЩs 12-year rule, which was shaped by pervasive corruption, dismantling of democratic institutions and accusations of links with drug cartels.
Many voiced hopes that Ms. Castro, 62, would be able to cure the chronic ills that have mired the country in poverty and desperation for decades тАФ widespread graft, violence, organized crime and mass migration.
Ms. Castro in some ways represents a break with HondurasтАЩs traditional politics. Her commanding lead, in what has been a largely peaceful election so far, also appeared to present a democratic reprieve from a wave of authoritarianism sweeping Central America.
Yet, Ms. Castro is also deeply tied to HondurasтАЩ political establishment. Her husband is Manuel Zelaya, a leftist former president deposed in a 2009 coup.
And Ms. CastroтАЩs ability to meet campaign promises is likely to be severely challenged by opposition from the more conservative sectors in congress and within her own political coalition.
