Thousands in Honduras march in anti-government protest

On Saturday, thousands of Honduran citizens marched in protest against President Xiomara Castro, accusing her of attempting an unconstitutional power grab by hand-picking public officials. The protest, organized by opposition parties, drew attention to the Castro government’s alleged efforts to transform Honduras.

David Chávez, president of the right-wing National Party, spoke out against the Castro government, stating, “We are here in defense of democracy because we do not want a dictatorship in Honduras like those in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, which is what the leftist government of President Xiomara Castro is leading us to.”

Roughly 10,000 people gathered in Tegucigalpa, the capital, for the demonstration, which concluded without incident. While there was no official estimate from Honduran authorities, a Reuters eyewitness reported the crowd size.

The opposition’s grievances stem from the ruling party’s election of a new interim chief prosecutor on November 1, without a congressional vote. The Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre), representing a minority in the Congress overall, used a committee vote to secure the nomination, sparking allegations of unconstitutionality from the opposing factions.

According to the Honduran constitution, 86 votes from the 128-member unicameral legislature are required to elect the attorney general. However, the constitution also grants the committee the authority to select an interim chief prosecutor if the position is vacant.

Since her inauguration as Honduras’ first female president in January 2022, Castro, a self-described democratic socialist, has sought to strengthen diplomatic relations with the governments of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia. Writing by Lucinda Elliott; editing by Diane Craft)