Honduran President Reshuffles Cabinet Amid Electoral Strategy and U.S. Tensions

President Xiomara Castro of Honduras restructured her cabinet on May 28, 2025, replacing three ministers who resigned to lead the ruling Libre party’s campaign for November’s elections.

Foreign Minister Enrique Reina, Defense Minister Rixi Moncada, and Human Rights Secretary Angélica Álvarez stepped down to join presidential candidate Moncada’s ticket, signaling a strategic consolidation of Libre’s socialist agenda.

Castro appointed diplomat Javier Efraín Bú Soto as foreign minister and lawyer Longino Becerra as human rights chief while assuming temporary control of the defense ministry.

Moncada, who received over 674,000 votes in March’s primaries, aims to extend Libre’s governance under its “democratic socialist refoundation” platform.

Her campaign emphasizes anti-corruption, military modernization, and environmental protection, citing her tenure’s dismantling of 14 drug networks and a 32% reduction in illegal mining.

Reina, now her running mate, reaffirmed commitments to sovereignty amid strained U.S. relations, referencing Libre’s roots in resisting the 2009 U.S.-backed coup against Castro’s husband, former President Manuel Zelaya.

The reshuffle follows escalating friction with Washington. Castro previously threatened to expel U.S. troops from Soto Cano Air Base—home to 500 personnel—over deportation policies and criticized Ambassador Laura Dogu’s accusations of ties to Venezuelan officials.

In 2025, she reversed a decision to scrap a U.S. extradition treaty after backlash over a leaked video linking her brother-in-law to drug traffickers.

Foreign Minister Reina accused Dogu of plotting a “barracks coup” to oust military leaders, echoing historic U.S. interference. Libre’s consolidation comes as Honduras navigates economic reliance on remittances from 250,000 potential deportees under U.S. policies.

With Moncada positioning herself as Castro’s successor, the party faces challenges balancing anti-imperialist rhetoric with pragmatic cooperation on security and migration—a tension defining Honduras’ pivot between regional alliances and Western pressure.

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