Honduras ruling party candidate Hernandez eyes IMF credit deal

Article source
Reuters

Honduras' ruling party presidential candidate Juan Hernandez said on Tuesday he hoped to strike a financing deal with the IMF within six months if he were to win this month's election and would also seek to refinance the country's heavy debt burden.

Hernandez, the National Party candidate who is vying to succeed outgoing President Porfirio Lobo, has risen in recent polls, overtaking Liberty and Refoundation candidate Xiomara Castro, the wife of ousted former leader Manuel Zelaya.

The tight race, however, is far from certain with few experts willing to call the result. Polls have the two contenders in a statistical tie.

The next president will face the tough task of trying to tame drug violence that has given Honduras the world's highest murder rate as well as controlling a mounting debt crisis.

"I don't see why we couldn't reach a deal with the (International Monetary) Fund in less than six months," Hernandez said on Tuesday in a meeting with reporters. He said there were some issues on which he disagreed with the IMF, but declined to elaborate.

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