HONDURAS: GOVERNING PARTY LOSES PRESIDENCY TO PARTIDO NACIONAL CANDIDATE RICARDO MADURO IN NOVEMBER ELECTION.

Conservative Honduran businessman Ricardo Maduro, 54, of the opposition Partido National (PN), won the Nov. 25 presidential election, defeating governing Partido Liberal (PL) candidate Rafael Pineda Ponce, 70. The day after the election, the Tribunal Nacional de Elecciones (TNE) projected Maduro

Maduro is a graduate in economics from Stanford University and served in the administration of President Rafael Callejas (1990-1994) as Central Bank president.

Maduro's campaign was remarkable for overcoming an aggressive attempt by the PL to scuttle his candidacy by claiming he was not a Honduran citizen. Though born in Panama, Maduro's mother was Honduran (see NotiCen, 2000-11-09). The two parties agreed to set up a commission to decide the matter, but Pineda and the PL refused to accept the commission's report.

In a tricky maneuver, Maduro quit the race in December 2000, and the party picked Luis Cosenza to replace him. In February 2001, the party nominated Maduro while Cosenza acted as a placeholder until the citizenship question was settled by a congressional vote reaffirming Maduro's Honduran citizenship. The vote had the support of Assembly president Pineda (see NotiCen, 2001-02-08, 2001-03-01).

Election observers reported few election-day problems, although some 83,000 potential voters were unable to cast ballots because of census errors.

The voting was marred by the assassination of Angel Pacheco, a PN candidate for a seat in the National Assembly. Three suspects who work for PL Assembly Deputy Manuel Vides were arrested. In another violent incident, shots were fired at PL headquarters in the northern city of San Pedro Sula. No injuries were reported.

The violence underscored Maduro's campaign promise to reduce the country's soaring crime rate with a "zero tolerance" policy. His campaign slogan was "Maduro, pais seguro." In this country of 6.3 million, police say there are 475 youth gangs (maras) that include more than 31,000 juveniles. After a visit with Mayor Rudy Giuliani in New York, Maduro said he would emulate that city's get-tough policy, starting with a crackdown on petty crime. Maduro's son was killed by gang members in 1997. Maduro said he would "end crime" by thoroughgoing reforms in the police and justice systems and by a program to increase economic growth and create jobs.