AP Photo

Amid a bouncing rhythm, the blue-shirted militants of the Honduran National Party jumped in celebration at their candidate's presidential victory and chanted the name of their country: “Honduras, Honduras.”

The young conservatives hope the triumph of Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, the timber magnate who won Sunday’s race with a 17-point lead, not only signals the return of the right but also the end of international isolation for Honduras.

This Central American nation has been condemned as a pariah state since soldiers flew the last elected president, Manuel Zelaya, out of the country at gunpoint in June.