Xiomara Castro: First female president of Honduras takes oath

Speaking at the ceremony, the leftist leader said she was taking the lead of a "broken" country - but vowed to pursue social justice and transparency, reports BBC.

Coming to power, the president has promised to  tackle powerful drug trafficking gangs and liberalise strict abortion laws.

Castro's husband, Manuel Zelaya, ruled the country from 2006 until 2009, when he was ousted by a coup, reports the British media.

A large number of people had joined the inauguration ceremony at the national stadium in the capital, Tegucigalpa.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris attended the inauguration event.

Harris tweeted: "Our relationship with Honduras is an important one. Today I met with President Xiomara Castro to discuss deepening our cooperation across a broad range of issues, including addressing the root causes of migration, combatting corruption, and expanding economic opportunity."

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai also attended the ceremony.

The leader posted: " Honored to attend the inauguration of President
@XiomaraCastroZ
, she gave a great speech. Today is a new beginning for the people of Honduras and a new start for our relationship. We are here to improve the life of our peoples, and to protect the sovereignty of our countries."

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Twitter: "My sincere congratulations to @XiomaraCastroZ on your inauguration as president of Honduras. Our countries share a long history of friendly ties, & I look forward to working with you to further expand #Taiwan-#Honduras cooperation for the benefit of our peoples."