President Xiomara Castro. Photo: X/@Canal8_hn.
Her decision followed the resignation of Rixi Moncada from the post of defense minister.
On Tuesday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro assumed the role of defense minister and appointed Javier Bu Soto as the new foreign affairs minister.
The move followed the resignations of Rixi Moncada and Eduardo Reina from the posts of defense and foreign affairs ministers, respectively.
“I deeply thank those who have served responsibly and efficiently in these high-level positions, offering valuable service to the nation,” Castro said.
Castro also announced that Longino Becerra will serve as the new human rights secretary, replacing Angélica Álvarez. Like Moncada and Reina, Álvarez stepped down to focus on campaigning for an elected position in the upcoming general elections scheduled for Nov. 30.
Fui invitada a la XXXIV Asamblea de la AMHON.
Y lo dije de frente, como siempre lo he hecho,
En 3 años y 4 meses, transferimos más de 24 mil millones de lempiras a las 298 alcaldías, sin importar colores políticos.Caminos, escuelas, hospitales, vados y puentes están llegando… pic.twitter.com/VDP53UWJey
— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) May 28, 2025
President Castro’s text reads, “I was invited to the 34th AMHON Assembly. And I said it upfront, as I always have: in three years and four months, we transferred over 24 billion lempiras to the 298 municipalities, regardless of political affiliation. Roads, schools, hospitals, fords and bridges are reaching where nothing arrived before. Where there was punishment and extortion, today there is investment, transparency and dignity. That is the refoundation: putting the people first and not going back.”
“The functions of the Ministry of National Defense will be temporarily assumed by me, in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” Castro stated on the social media platform X.
Moncada is the presidential candidate for the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre), and her running mates include the former ministers of foreign affairs and human rights.
Bu Soto had been serving as Honduras’ ambassador to the United States. Honduran electoral law requires public officials seeking elected office to resign six months before the general elections. The National Electoral Council (CNE) is expected to officially call the November 30 elections on Thursday.
