Between the National Congress and the Central Park of Tegucigalpa there is a narrow street called Bolívar where, with a bit of luck, there can be room for more than a thousand people crammed together. It was there where, in front of a smaller audience than that, the new president of Honduras, known as Daddy on order— came out to give a brief speech of thanks, after officially receiving the presidential inauguration this Tuesday. “Thank you to everyone who fought for our beloved Honduras,” he said briefly, while a small group of supporters applauded him. Asfura assumes command of the Government of this country of eight million inhabitants preceded by , a few days before the elections last November.
Asfura, president of Honduras for the period 2026-2030, assumed power in a ceremony marked by austerity. The event took place in the National Congress, with capacity for about 200 people, without much pomp and with a limited list of guests. Representatives of the three powers of the State, international organizations and diplomats accredited in the country attended. There were no foreign presidents, not even from neighboring countries—Guatemala, Nicaragua or El Salvador—as is usual in this type of ceremony. A striking aspect is that the outgoing president, Xiomara Castro, did not attend the investiture. Although she respected the official results of the National Electoral Council (CNE), she had accused the conservative politician who triumphed with the support of Donald Trump.
During his inauguration speech, the new president generally greeted representatives of international organizations, but did not make any particular mention of the United States representative in Honduras, Colleen A. Hoey, even after receiving Trump’s support. Asfura was proclaimed president-elect that took over the Central American country. The declaration was not without controversy due to the division of the three members of the National Electoral Council (CNE), who did not reach a unanimous agreement to name a winner of . The conservative’s victory was questioned in Honduras because the margin of victory was barely around 40,000 votes in an electoral roll of 6.3 million, according to the latest official data.
The president was also expected to present his entire cabinet this Tuesday, something that did not happen.
The speech was marked by terseness. “Time started to run, we can’t waste it, we have to start working,” he said. Asfura superficially addressed some of the country’s main problems, such as security, health and education. At no point did he mention one of Washington’s permanent focuses of attention.
There were also no direct references to gangs, another of the central problems that his Government will face. That same day it expired in 2022, which will not be renewed. The measure was the main strategy to combat extortion and other crimes, although, according to local security experts, it had few results.
In terms of health, the country is going through a serious health crisis, with a poor response to the demand for surgeries in public hospitals. The ruling party that took office on Monday presented a draft “Law on exceptional measures for the care of the people,” which would imply a form of privatization of the health system, according to the media. Countercurrent.
A transfer of command with little euphoria
Unlike previous transfers, the public celebration was not held at the Chelato Uclés National Stadium, with capacity for 35,000 people, but in smaller spaces and with visibly lower attendance. Sources close to the new Government indicated that the transfer commission agreed to this change with the aim of reducing expenses.
In front of the main entrance to Congress, only about 60 people applauded Asfura during his inauguration, some of them waving flags of the conservative National Party, to which the new president belongs. In parallel, an event was organized in the central park, where around 1,500 people gathered.
After the official speech, Asfura went out to a small platform installed on Bolívar Street, next to Congress. He spoke for just over a minute to thank the Honduran people for their support. His supporters chanted: “Yes we could, yes we could”, to which the president responded with his campaign slogan: “We are active”, while raising his fist. The event organized by the National Party dissolved just over an hour later.
The surroundings of Congress were guarded by hundreds of members of the Military Police. The security device was reinforced after , who was injured by an explosive device.
Two days before, on Sunday, January 25, during the march for Honduran Women’s Day, a group of protesters approached Congress and were dispersed with tear gas by soldiers guarding the premises.
At the end of the day, around noon, several supporters took photos with a tall, bald man who imitated Asfura. “It’s daddy, it’s daddy!” one shouted, laughing. A few meters away, a woman murmured: “He’s the only one I could see, because the real one just came and left.”
