Ex-Honduras first lady announces run for presidency days after husband’s drug trafficking conviction

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, left, stands with his wife Ana Garcia, during the presidential inauguration ceremony for his second term at the National Stadium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Jan. 27, 2018. The former first lady said Tuesday, March 12, 2024, just days after her husband’s U.S. drug trafficking conviction, that she plans to seek the country’s presidency in 2025.

Former Honduras first lady Ana García de Hernández announced her intention to run for the country's presidency next year, just days after her husband's conviction in a U.S. federal court for drug trafficking. Ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández was found guilty of conspiring with drug traffickers to transport cocaine to the United States.

Addressing reporters at a news conference on Tuesday, García de Hernández stated, "I want to tell you that from this moment, I will start an active and proactive fight for the world to know the injustice that was committed." She declared her intention to seek the nomination of Hernández's National party.

Her husband, who consistently professed his innocence during the trial, faces a potential life sentence.

Expressing her determination to address Honduras' pressing needs, García de Hernández emphasized her familiarity with the challenges facing the nation. She underscored the injustice she perceived in her husband's conviction.

However, Marco Eliud Girón, a lawmaker from the ruling LIBRE party, insinuated that García de Hernández's political ambitions might be driven more by self-preservation than a genuine commitment to public service. He suggested that she was well aware of her husband's connections to drug traffickers and speculated that her foray into politics could be motivated by a desire to mitigate her own legal liabilities.

Juan Orlando Hernández was apprehended at his residence in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, three months after concluding his term in 2022. He was subsequently extradited to the United States in April of that year to face trial.