Browse Honduras Daily Stories

A proposal by Liberal congressman Yury Sabas would lower the minimum driving age to 16, permitting teenagers to operate light vehicles between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. under a reformed Traffic Law.

Congress approved a temporary waiver of fines and sanctions for 2025 election candidates who failed to file required campaign finance reports or establish separate campaign bank accounts, giving them two months to comply before penalties take effect.

Jorge Alberto Cálix Orellana, whose brother Mario José "Cubeta" Cálix was extradited to the US on drug charges, has been appointed director of the OABI, the state agency that administers assets seized from traffickers—a move that prompted a rights lawyer to warn of potential conflicts of interest.

A proposal by the current director of Honduras's state electricity utility to reorganize its structure into three separate companies and create an independent grid operator would undermine state control and pave the way for privatization, according to former ENEE manager Erick Tejada.

The National Congress reversed its previous day's approval of a two-month extension for candidates who failed to file required campaign-finance reports, leaving them exposed to fines up to 90,000 lempiras and prosecution by the attorney general's office.

President Nasry Asfura said his administration will not privatize the state power utility ENEE but will pursue efficiency reforms and modernization to address the company's mounting losses, which he called Honduras's main economic problem.

Congress's Family and Children Commission is leading technical talks to revise the law on sexual abuse prevention and protection for children and adolescents, citing persistent legal gaps that hinder swift justice for victims.

Congresswoman Yasmy Arita introduced legislation in Congress to establish a special youth motorcycle license requiring mandatory training and exams before issuance, aiming to reduce traffic accidents and improve road safety among young riders.

Honduras's Supreme Court approved proposed reforms to femicide statutes and a law allowing release of terminally ill prisoners, offering technical observations for Congress to consider during legislative debate.

Congress is prepared to review the executive's proposal to restructure the state electricity utility ENEE to reduce its 38% loss rate—which costs the state approximately L1.3 billion monthly—and lower electricity costs for consumers.

Congressman Yury Sabas of the Liberal Party announced a bill to allow supervised driving licenses for Hondurans aged 16 to 18 with parental consent, mandatory insurance, and certified driver training, citing informal teenage driving already occurring on roads.

Jorge Alberto Cálix Orellana has been appointed director of Honduras's agency that administers assets seized from drug traffickers, sparking concerns over conflict of interest because his brother Mario José Cálix—a major trafficker extradited to the US in 2024—had substantial property and accounts seized by the same institution.

Lawyers from Colombian President Gustavo Petro's party filed a complaint with Honduras's Public Ministry against former President Juan Orlando Hernández, alleging terrorist association and crimes against humanity based on disputed audio recordings, as forensic analysis of the recordings remains inconclusive.

The Public Ministry says no investigation has been opened into Rony Pacheco, director of the National Statistics Institute (INE), who is also listed as an employee of the National Electoral Council (CNE), pending a report from the Court of Accounts to determine whether his dual roles violate civil-service law.

Honduras's National Congress is drafting reforms to strengthen legal protections and institutional coordination for the prevention, detection, and prosecution of sexual abuse against children and adolescents, following violence that kills dozens of minors yearly.

The Education Commission is reviewing a proposed Parental Rights Law that would give parents primary authority to teach their children about sexuality and other matters according to their own moral and religious values.

Congress is naming new members to Honduras's electoral bodies, the CNE and Electoral Tribunal, while the Electoral Affairs Commission plans initial reforms for July and deeper changes—including biometric voting—for October, pending agreement among political factions.

Agrarian organizations including the Aguán Agrarian Platform and OFRANEH said a proposed law to strengthen and protect the agro-industrial sector is unconstitutional because it privileges one sector over the rest of the population.

Nelson Castañeda, security and justice director at the ASJ, said Honduras's Public Prosecutor's Office requires increased funding to improve its capacity to respond to cases.

Congress is advancing a reform of Honduras's electricity sector that would reduce technical and non-technical losses—now running at 38% of the system, or about 1.3 billion lempiras monthly—and strengthen regulatory oversight to improve efficiency and financial sustainability.

Over 5,000 app-based drivers in Honduras met with a congresswoman seeking labor protections and legal recognition, noting that companies like Uber lack a formal presence in Honduras, creating tax gaps and leaving workers without formal rights.

The National Defense and Security Council ordered the permanent closure of DIPAMPCO, Honduras's anti-gang police directorate, after an internal review found alleged administrative and criminal irregularities — including an unauthorized raid linked to the deaths of five officers — with functions to be transferred to the DPI.

Retired General Roosevelt Hernández, former chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Attorney General's investigation into the flawed March 2025 primary elections is diverting attention from a surge in massacres that has left roughly 1,000 Hondurans dead so far this year.

Honduras's Public Ministry will summon former National Congress president Luis Redondo and four current lawmakers next week as part of an investigation into the former Permanent Commission, with their legal representatives already notified.

The UN and international partners will deliver multi-sector humanitarian assistance across 33 Honduran municipalities, reaching more than 760,000 people with $63.2 million from OCHA's emergency fund.

Congress approved legislation declaring agricultural and agro-industrial lands exempt from land reform and other seizure, mandating immediate police action against invasions and road blockades, and requiring streamlined permitting for the sector, which contributes roughly 6.5 billion lempiras to GDP.

The government will submit a comprehensive electricity-sector reform bill to Congress this week that would split ENEE into three functional divisions—generation, transmission, and distribution—aiming to cut system losses of nearly 38% and stabilize tariffs, officials say.

Honduras's Supreme Court has submitted its legal opinion to Congress on proposed reforms to three Penal Code articles governing femicide, including a proposal to create specialized judicial bodies to handle such cases.

Kenneth Madrid, a self-nominated lawyer seeking a seat on Honduras's National Electoral Council, says he has no party backing and needs 86 of 128 congressional votes, calling the selection a test of whether Congress will prioritize merit over partisan dealmaking.

The National Agrarian Institute issued three property titles to Chortí indigenous communities in the departments of Copán and Ocotepeque, formalizing land rights for those groups.