BOGOTA, Colombia

Leftist opposition candidate Xiomara Castro seems on course to become the first woman to lead Honduras, with preliminary results showing she has a clear lead after Sunday's presidential election.

With just about half of the votes tallied, Castro, wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, had over 53.5% of the votes, well ahead of conservative ruling party contender Nasry Asfura's 34%, according to the National Electoral Council.

Yani Rosenthal of the Liberal Party was in third spot with 9.25%, while the overall turnout was more than 68%, the council said.

Victory for Castro will bring the left to power in Honduras for the first time since 2009, when her husband was ousted in a coup.

Once finalized and confirmed by the electoral authority, the winner of the presidential election is scheduled to start a four-year term in January 2022.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk