Honduras, the Challenges
 President-elect Manuel Zelaya is taking office on Friday in Honduras with the challenges of fighting violence and wiping out poverty, amid International Monetary Fund-imposed limitations on expenses.

This country, which ranks third among the poorest in Latin America after Haiti and Nicaragua, has a population who sees extreme aggressiveness as its main problem, even bigger than unemployment and corruption, according to a Cid Gallup survey.

The poll found that 52 percent of Hondurans is sure Zelaya will be able to deliver on his promises of achieving national development and wiping out juvenile gangs or "maras", while 48 percent remained sceptical.

With about 36,000 youngsters under 23 involved, the "maras" ravage most shanty towns in Honduras, where they thrive amid prevailing poverty affecting 80 percent of the population.

Members of these gangs are involved in drug trafficking, robbery, burglarizing houses, businesses and assaulting buses. They clash with rival gangs and with police forces, using rifles and pistols.

The recently-elected Honduran president, a businessman who owns a lumber company, is proposing a "Tough Hand" policy, with more police officers on the streets and more severe measures including life sentence.

Poverty and the lack of work opportunities and education projects to rehabilitate youngsters are among reasons behind an ever increasing social violence.

An annual report by the Attorney General´s Office said the number of 15-18 year-old economically active people increased by 85,709, with most of them wandering about in the streets, looking for opportunities.

As they cannot find a way out to their worries, these young people join the "maras", which generate crime, child exploitation and prostitution, and contribute to spread HIV/AIDS.

The problem will not be easy to solve by the incoming head of State, above all because of the strict measures agreed upon with the IMF for the country to be able to strike a deal with the financial institution.

Foreign interference has also an influence in the forced fiscal deficit reduction, the foreign debt payments which amount to 400 billion dollars and monetary adjustments which adversely affect the poor.

In his latest speech, Zelaya, from the Liberal Party (right), vowed to lower prices of basic consumer products and generate about 100,000 jobs a year.

However, he will maintain his firm stand of not yielding to wage hike demands or claims to provide funds for other areas of social interest in order to fulfil the commitment with the IMF.