National News

The Public Ministry rejected former Congress president Luis Rolando Redondo's appeal of a June 2 decision to maintain secrecy around his investigation into his role at the now-defunct Permanent Commission, finding the prosecutor properly withheld details to protect the inquiry.

Agriculture Minister Moisés Molina said Honduras requires approximately $16 billion in investment to fund irrigation projects that would modernize 500,000 acres of agricultural land.

Economist and former congressman Aníbal Cálix said public investment moved too slowly in the first half of 2026 and called for structural reforms at ENEE, the state power utility, to improve its financial performance and grid reliability.

Analyst Luis Cruz attributes Honduras's lowest investment percentage in Central America to weak legal protections and investor uncertainty, arguing that strengthening the legal framework and offering greater certainty to investors are key to attracting capital and creating jobs.

A congressman has introduced a bill to convert properties managed by Honduras's seized-asset office into a nationwide network of emergency shelters for people displaced by disasters, violence, or other crises.

Former Energy Secretary Erick Tejada says Honduras's state power company needs eight years to recover from deep structural problems, and warns that the government's no-subsidy policy is pushing electricity rate increases onto ordinary Hondurans.

Congress suspended debate on a proposed energy modernization law after the Liberal Party and social sectors demanded more time and transparency, citing concerns over potential rate increases and the future of the state electricity company ENEE.

A Liberal congressman introduced legislation to ensure workers applying for IHSS retirement benefits maintain medical coverage during the often-months-long processing period, arguing that some Hondurans risk death without treatment during the transition.

Lawmakers unanimously approved infrastructure contracts for 18 new classroom modules and rehabilitation of seven schools across five western departments, plus design and construction work at five hospitals nationwide, funded by international loans with sovereign guarantee.

The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights says Honduras needs an electoral council independent of political parties and opposes the return of two current counselors to their posts to ensure transparent 2029 elections.

Electoral council members Ana Paola Hall and Cossette López presented a 2,000-page report alleging that the 2025 election faced institutional pressure from the military and prosecutors, counting obstruction, and threats including arrest warrants against them, while asserting no fraud occurred.

The Liga Nacional rescheduled the 2026 Supercopa between Motagua and Olimpia from July 25 to July 23 at the teams' joint request, allowing them more preparation time before the Central American Cup begins late July.

The National Congress is refusing to unseal physical boxes that may contain financial documents from former Congress president Luis Redondo's 2022–2026 tenure, citing a need for oversight by the Court of Accounts, while claiming digital records of the spending have been deleted.

The International Monetary Fund is tracking Honduras's efforts to reform its electric sector, with pending actions still needed to address problems at the state-owned utility ENEE.

Rural, indigenous, and human-rights organizations filed a constitutional challenge seeking to suspend Decree 107-2026, which they say enables land seizures and strips protections from campesino and indigenous communities to shield agribusiness, energy, tourism, and ranching projects.

The National Congress unanimously approved 10 contracts funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and Central American Bank for Economic Integration to carry out social projects and consulting work across multiple departments, though lawmakers noted the absence of contract values in the vote.

Honduras's accounting tribunal will investigate L15.9 million (about $636,000) paid for two presidential meeting rooms at the Supreme Court during Rebeca Raquel Obando's tenure, after a failed public bid, a closed private bidding, and cost overruns of nearly L3 million above the original contract.

Congress appointed Eduardo Fuentes and Aixa Zelaya as interim members of the National Electoral Council (CNE) to replace Cossette López and Ana Paola Hall, who took diplomatic posts abroad, amid opposition lawmakers' protests that the substitutions lack legal standing.

The national power utility ENEE will cut electricity on July 2 to multiple zones across Choluteca, Valle, and Francisco Morazán departments from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for scheduled network maintenance and upgrades.

A National Congress member proposed reopening the enrollment period for a microbusiness tax-incentive program that expired, conditioning new benefits on companies creating at least 20% more jobs and adding safeguards against fraud and duplicate claims.

National Police arrested a man wanted for homicide who had evaded justice for more than two decades.

A specialized national tribunal convicted six people of drug trafficking, illegal weapons possession, and criminal association; sentencing is scheduled for August 7.

Transport operators say urban bus fares will remain at 13 lempiras despite recent fuel-price declines, citing other operating costs and a government subsidy three months in arrears.

Year-over-year inflation in Honduras reached 6.09% in May, up 1.55 percentage points from a year earlier, driven mainly by rising fuel prices that accounted for nearly half the overall price increase.

Foreign direct investment to Honduras continued to grow in the first three months of 2026, supporting economic activity, according to the Central Bank.

The number of Hondurans seeking refuge or asylum abroad reached 262,913 people in 2025, with the UN refugee agency citing crime-related violence, extortion, climate impacts, and economic collapse as drivers, while Honduras's human-rights ombudsman warns that early intervention could have kept many in the country.

Central Bank President Roberto Lagos said Honduras must prepare monetary and fiscal measures aligned with IMF recommendations to contain inflation, while currently monitoring how fuel prices ripple through the economy; he indicated no immediate rate adjustment is needed given US Federal Reserve policy.

Honduras's exports grew 2.8% quarter-over-quarter, driven by increased sales of coffee, crude oil, cigars, and services, while imports rose 2.1% due to higher purchases of industrial inputs, machinery, transport equipment, and fuel.

Honduras's National Migration Institute reminds travelers that passports must have at least six months of validity remaining to enter the US or Europe, and has opened 24-hour emergency passport centers at the country's major international airports.

ENEE has announced power cuts on Wednesday, July 1 across multiple zones in Honduras; specific times and affected areas are listed on the utility's website.