Honduras Politics News

Congress plans to vote next week on restructuring the state electricity company to stem annual losses exceeding 16 billion lempiras (about $640 million), but passage depends on the Liberal Party's backing and its proposed reverse-auction mechanism for energy procurement.

Congress president Tomás Zambrano announced that lawmakers will formally introduce next week a bill to strengthen the National Electoral Council (CNE) by clarifying its powers and functions to prevent institutional paralysis caused by members' absences or withdrawals during elections.

Pennsylvania authorities have asked Honduras's Supreme Court to extradite a Honduran citizen accused of homicide; a judge has been assigned and an arrest warrant will be issued, though authorities have not disclosed the suspect's identity pending his capture.

The Property Institute and government unveiled a plan to strengthen municipal cadastral centers nationwide, aiming to improve land management and make property registration and related services more accessible to citizens across Honduras.

Honduras's Liquidation Commission says it is wrapping up the closure of nine public institutions—including the Planning Ministry, the Cinematography Directorate, and the Institute of Historical Memory—with asset transfers, severance payments, and creditor settlements nearly finished by August.

The Association for a Just Society says the government has not implemented key commitments from its National Anti-Corruption Strategy, including appointing a Presidential Commissioner for Transparency, despite announcing plans for new anti-corruption legislation.

Honduras's Appeals Court invalidated all criminal proceedings against former judge Marco Antonio Vallecillo for extortion, ruling that prosecutors skipped the mandatory antejuicio pre-trial procedure required before charging a sitting judge.

Honduras's Supreme Court president said the judiciary remains committed to dialogue with Garífuna representatives and OFRANEH over implementing international court rulings on indigenous land rights, after both groups did not attend a scheduled meeting Friday.

A coordinator at a Honduran civil-society organization warned that the recently approved Agro-Industrial Law threatens territorial rights of Garífuna, Indigenous, and other communities, citing concerns over Article 77's land regularization rules and violations of Inter-American Court rulings.

Honduras's prosecutors' association is urging the Public Ministry and Congress to approve emergency funding to hire about 200 new prosecutors, citing a case backlog caused by the current 760 prosecutors being overwhelmed and no new hires in seven years.

A court postponed the initial hearing against former president Juan Orlando Hernández on fraud and money-laundering charges to August 18, after his legal team requested more time to review evidence presented by prosecutors.

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández, previously convicted in the US of drug trafficking and later pardoned, stated he will face money-laundering accusations with respect for the justice system.

The National Congress has delayed debate on an energy-reform bill at the executive branch's request, deferring discussion until further notice to allow time for consensus-building.

Congressman Yuri Sabas criticized the government's energy-reform bill for lacking substantive changes, warning that ENEE could become as hollowed-out as the failed state telecom Hondutel despite holding valuable assets like major dams.

An attorney asked Honduras's Constitutional Court on Thursday to enforce Article 374 of the constitution, which bars amendment of the presidential term-limit rule (Article 239) that prohibits anyone who has served as president from running again.

Journalist Héctor Ordóñez has replaced José Argueta as the government's communications secretary, following Argueta's quiet suspension after about six months in the role amid questions about the administration's messaging strategy.

Jorge Cálix, the Liberal Party's congressional leader, introduced a bill and a criminal-code reform to impose prison sentences on people who steal electricity from the state utility ENEE.

The initial hearing in the fraud and money laundering case against former president Juan Orlando Hernández was set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to judiciary spokesman Carlos Silva.

A Liberal Party congresswoman introduced an electoral-reform bill that would hold presidential elections and congressional–municipal elections on separate dates.

An appeals court reversed the formal charges and granted definitive dismissal to former Nationalist Party congresswoman Gladis Aurora López in a case alleging she misappropriated public funds from an electrification project in La Paz.

An internal investigation into Honduras's judiciary is examining whether a former secretary general improperly influenced the assignment of appeals courts handling high-impact cases, including one against former Deputy Nelson Márquez, now a vice minister.

The Tegucigalpa municipal government and national police carried out an operation to clear sidewalks on Third Avenue in Comayagüela of street vendors and informal merchants, aiming to restore pedestrian access and ensure buses use the right lane only.

A member of Congress receives approximately L140,000 (about $5,600) per month in salary and mobility allowances, more than nine times Honduras's average 2026 minimum wage, with additional payments for leadership roles.

Congress will convene a food security summit on August 18 to address a severe drought affecting 75 municipalities, aiming to build long-term legal and financial solutions for the crisis.

A Liberal congressman from Yoro has introduced a bill to establish a permanent climate-resilience fund for Honduras's farm and livestock sector, aimed at funding water infrastructure, emergency response, and productivity support amid prolonged drought and extreme weather affecting rural areas.

A congressman from Partido Libre introduced a bill in Congress to create a law recognizing, protecting, and ensuring the dignity of Honduras's LGTBIQ+ population.

More than half of the Liberal Party's congressional members oppose energy-sector reforms being pushed by the party's legislative leader, Jorge Cálix, with lawmakers citing concerns that the proposal lacks popular support and needs deeper analysis.

Congress will weigh competing plans to reorganize the state power utility into separate generation, transmission, and distribution units, with the Liberal Party and the government differing on asset ownership, debt responsibility, and long-term contracts.

Electoral reformers discussed at CC Fest 2026 in Tegucigalpa—including making polling stations run by citizens rather than political appointees and banning reelection at all levels—amid public surveys showing 64% of Hondurans believe past elections involved fraud and 80% demand reforms.

Garifuna and indigenous leaders warn that Honduras's new Agroindustrial Law, designed to strengthen property rights and attract investment, risks displacing ancestral communities whose territorial claims and international protections remain unresolved.