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HONDURAS: RICARDO MADURO TAKES OVER PRESIDENCY VOWING TO CARRY OUT A TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTRY.

Article Excerpt
Ricardo Maduro, of the Partido Nacional (PN), took the oath of office as president of Honduras Jan. 27. Maduro, a businessman, defeated Partido Liberal (PL) candidate Rafael Pineda Ponce in the November presidential election (see NotiCen, 2001-11-29). Maduro became the sixth democratically elected president since the restoration of democracy in 1982 after 20 years of military dictatorship.

In his inaugural address, Maduro promised to transform the country by attacking poverty and government inefficiency, to resolve outstanding problems with El Salvador and Nicaragua, and to work toward regional integration.

Crime and corruption received special attention. Maduro said in an interview with the Salvadoran newspaper La Prensa Grafica that the problem of crime stems partly from impunity and partly from the inefficiency of the justice and penal systems. He promised to end violent crime during his four-year term.

Maduro said the difference between the two major parties was more in execution than in ideology. Although both have similar objectives, he said, such as the redistribution of wealth to the poor, much money is lost on the way to the poor through corruption and inefficiency. Therefore, Maduro's approach to corruption in government will be through structural changes to smooth the way for reform.

Border problems await resolution

Maduro plans an early meeting with Salvadoran President Francisco Flores to work out a solution to their dispute over the maritime and territorial boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca area--a dispute that stretches back decades. The two nations...

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