Former first lady of Honduras Xiomara Castro will become the first woman to head the country - her main opponent has officially admitted defeat in the presidential election, according to Reuters.

The ruling conservative party has acknowledged the defeat of its candidate Nasry Asfura, despite the ongoing vote count. According to preliminary data, leftist candidate Castro gets 53.4%, while her rival gets 34.1%. Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Castro, adding that Washington hopes to cooperate with her.

Castro was the first lady of Honduras from 2006 to 2009 during the reign of her husband who was ousted in a coup.