Castro, Xiomara << see oh MAH rah >> (1959-…), a Honduran politician, is the first woman to become president of the Central American country of Honduras. Castro was elected to the presidency on Nov. 28, 2021, and took office on Jan. 27, 2022. 
Castro has implemented left-wing (strongly liberal or radical) policies during her presidency. These policies include banning open-pit mining to protect the environment and ending Honduras’s special low-tax economic zones. Castro also ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan to pursue closer ties with China. Honduras had been one of the few countries in the world that recognized Taiwan.
Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento was born on Sept. 30, 1959, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She attended primary and secondary school in Tegucigalpa. In 1976, Castro married Manuel Zelaya, the son of a wealthy landowner. Afterward, she became involved in a local civil society organization that assisted families in need.
In the 1980’s, Zelaya entered politics as a member of the Liberal Party, one of the two major parties in Honduras. Zelaya was elected president in 2005 and inaugurated in 2006. Castro then became the first lady of Honduras. In 2009, after attempting to modify the national Constitution, Zelaya was deposed and exiled in a military coup (sudden take-over of government).
After the removal of her husband from office, Castro played a key role in pro-democracy marches in Honduras. She also helped in the formation of Liberty and Refoundation (Libre), a new left-wing political party. Libre nominated Castro as its presidential candidate for the 2013 election. However, she lost to Juan Orlando Hernández, the candidate from the conservative National Party. Libre again nominated Castro for the 2021 election. She won the election after a campaign that emphasized progressive reform and confronting corruption.
