Honduras Politics News

A technical reform panel delivered proposals to Honduras's electoral authority (UFTF) to strengthen political campaign-finance regulation, including an independent budget, autonomy from the electoral council (CNE), merit-based appointments, and a public registry of private donors.

Honduras's campaign-finance watchdog (UFTF) defended a 146.4-million-lempira fine against former presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla, saying the investigation lasted over a month and found undisclosed private donations of 73.2 million lempiras that were not properly reported.

COHEP, Honduras's business council, met with Congress's labor committee to evaluate the Part-Time Employment Law, urging technical dialogue to strengthen legal frameworks that encourage investment and formal job creation.

Gabriela Castellanos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Council, warned that Congress is using procedural maneuvers—including reconsideration of approved acts—that echo discredited 2017 tactics and risk enabling corruption and impunity.

The Labor Committee of Congress began reviewing private-sector concerns about the part-time employment law approved in March, with proposals expected in coming days to address minimum weekly hours, special provisions for teachers and doctors, and new digital and creative-economy sectors.

The National Congress Agriculture Committee and producers' associations agreed to develop financial products tailored to small-livestock farmers and establish an inter-agency technical working group to coordinate production, health, and financing assistance.

Civil-society groups have proposed that the 128 deputies and 298 mayors elected in November 2029 serve only two years instead of four, with midterm legislative elections in 2031 following the U.S. model, to separate simultaneous presidential, congressional, and municipal ballots that officials say create logistical chaos and slow result reporting.

Ten civil-society organizations presented Congress with 87 proposed electoral reforms on September 21, including a presidential runoff system, citizen oversight of polling stations, and changes to campaign finance law, though lawmakers anticipate difficulty passing several measures.

Honduras's Liberal Party lawmakers met with International Committee of the Red Cross representatives to support a proposed law establishing protections for disappeared persons and their families, including a national search system and unified registry.

Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero met her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha at the 81st UN General Assembly, signing a Honduras-Ukraine cooperation roadmap for 2026–2029.

The ethnic-community organization Odeco launched a project to strengthen land rights, local governance, and economic sustainability in Atlantic-coast Garífuna communities in Colón and Atlántida, with training in human rights and women's leadership.

Honduras's Public Ministry and Security Secretariat have ordered law-enforcement to prioritize complaints of illegal seizure of property under a new agricultural and energy law (Decree 107-2026), raising concerns about resource allocation as the country faces persistent violence.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced plans to vet justice-system officials for ties to criminal activity, following congressional approval of reforms that tighten confinement rules for gang and terrorist-organization members.

A slander and defamation trial against Cofradía local mayor Roberto Contreras Mendoza, brought by former municipal councilor Carmen Elena Paz over public statements about a commercial property's undervalued assessment, was rescheduled from Wednesday to February 18 after his defense attorney reported a medical incapacity.

Honduras's campaign-finance regulator (UFTF) has upheld a fine of more than L146.4 million (about $5.9 million) against a politically obligated entity that failed to disclose 21 private contributions.

Congress passed sweeping legislation naming three criminal organizations as terrorist groups and imposing strict isolation, technology bans, and severe movement restrictions on inmates convicted of terrorism or gang membership.

A coalition for electoral reforms submitted a package to the Electoral Court's chief magistrate proposing professionalization, merit-based magistrate selection, budget autonomy, and faster dispute resolution to reduce political interference.

Congressman Adolfo Ráquel of the National Party claimed Honduras pays legislators the lowest salaries in Latin America, triggering social-media criticism that a lawmaker complaining of insufficient income appears tone-deaf to citizens earning far less.

Honduras's anti-corruption council says Congress has failed to update internal procedures to match a 2026 reform that expanded lawmakers' ability to reconsider and modify approved legislative acts, creating legal ambiguity and risking abuse by parliamentary minorities.

The National Party announced its lawmakers will vote against a proposed electoral second round, effectively stalling the measure in Congress despite social pressure and support from several sectors.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced the National Congress will hold its first session outside the capital in the current term on October 14 in Danlí, El Paraíso, to hear directly from citizens and local legislators about regional needs and legislative priorities.

A congressional food-security committee met with agricultural ministry experts to review the Honduras Zero-Hunger 2035 program, which aims to integrate a national irrigation plan into the 2027 budget and advance Honduras's commitment to ending hunger by 2035.

The National Congress's Social Economy Commission is reviewing a bill to establish a legal framework for about 3,000 farmer-run cooperative enterprises, aiming to boost their productive capacity and contributions to employment and economic development.

Honduras's Special Consumer and Elderly Protection Office conducted a field inspection in Dos Caminos, Villanueva, following a complaint of illegal land occupation, finding families in makeshift structures on disputed lots.

Melvin Cevallos, a Libre party organizer, was arrested on charges of coercion and electoral threats related to protests that allegedly disrupted the 2025 election's voting-results transmission system, but a judge ordered him released pending trial.

Congress agricultural and food-security committees convened producers from five departments and government agencies to draft a law addressing land tenure, resource conflicts, and sustainable agriculture in regions including Colón, El Paraíso, Gracias a Dios, Olancho, and Yoro.

Congress Security Commission president Marco Paz said the current security reform package focuses on changes to the National Penitentiary and police forces, while any proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility remains under debate with no concrete proposal yet.

Congressman Adolfo Ráquel, citing Directorio Legislativo data, claims Honduran legislators earn $3,833 a month—the lowest in Latin America—netting about 70,000 lempiras (roughly $2,800) after deductions from a gross salary of around 90,000 lempiras.

Congress is reviewing the Part-Time Employment Law following concerns from business and labor groups, preparing a security-focused criminal-code package, and has begun analyzing the 2027 national budget.

Civil-society groups proposed a conditional two-round presidential system requiring a second ballot if no candidate wins 45% of valid votes or leads the runner-up by at least ten points, but the National Congress's Electoral Affairs Committee confirmed insufficient votes to advance the constitutional amendment needed for the 2029 elections.