Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Luis Zelaya, leader of the Liberal Party, has proposed 12 electoral reforms including runoff presidential elections, a reduction in the number of lawmakers, and depoliticization of electoral bodies, arguing that restoring democratic credibility requires structural changes to Honduras's political system.

Congress approved reforms allowing the CNE and Electoral Court to continue operating under temporary leadership while vacancies from impeachments remain unfilled.

The National Congress returns to session on Monday, October 12, with electoral reforms, the 2027 general budget, and pending committee reports on the agenda, followed by a mobile session in Danlí on October 14.

Though Honduras mandates that 40% of electoral candidates be women, only 38 of 128 lawmakers elected in November 2025 are female (29.7%), a gap the UN Development Programme attributes to parties placing women candidates in uncompetitive positions.

An anticorruption council and civil-society coalition submitted a package of 87 electoral reforms covering constitutional changes, election administration, political financing, and electoral crimes, including runoff elections, citizen poll observers, and early voting for disabled voters.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ten civil-society organizations, supported by the UN Development Programme, delivered a package of electoral reforms to Congress President Tomás Zambrano and the National Electoral Council, as lawmakers prepare to negotiate competing proposals on voting procedures.

The National Congress returns to session on Monday, September 21, after a recess for Children's Day and Independence Day, implementing a four-day work week through the end of September to clear 14 stalled bills from a prioritized package and debate electoral reforms, criminal-justice changes, and the 2027 budget.

Lawmakers are debating electoral reforms that would introduce a second-round runoff vote and impose restrictions on the political use of government office by sitting officials, with a deadline set for approval by January 24, 2027.

Five small political parties—Anticorrupción, ORDEN, Liberación Democrática de Honduras, Alianza Patriótica, and Vamos Honduras—petitioned Congress's Electoral Affairs Commission to restore their ability to compete in elections and gain representation on vote-counting boards.

Congress is examining a proposal to strip political parties of the secretary and scrutineer positions at Honduras's roughly 18,000 polling stations, replacing partisan appointees with randomly selected citizens to reduce conflicts of interest during vote tallying.

Congress will include a runoff in electoral reforms only if lawmakers secure a supermajority of 86 votes; the electoral commission chair said the proposal will be unified with other ballot measures for a vote expected in October.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano said lawmakers have shared an electoral-reform proposal with all legislative blocs and will now seek the National Electoral Council's opinion before proceeding, aiming to speed up vote tabulation and boost citizen confidence in elections.

The National Congress is poised to vote on an energy-reform bill next week after reaching broad consensus among parties, while preparing to review the 2027 budget with emphasis on food security and drought relief.

The United Nations Development Program will present a package of electoral reforms to Congress on September 17, including a proposed second-round presidential vote, as lawmakers debate multiple competing reform proposals to restore public confidence in Honduras's election system.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced that the Electoral Affairs Commission will present reforms next week to strengthen the National Electoral Council (CNE), requiring councillors to attend all plenary sessions and improving result transmission to report outcomes on election day.

Honduras's electoral authority and Congress will begin a technical working group on September 17 to debate electoral law changes, including a proposed runoff vote, aimed at strengthening democratic legitimacy and citizen confidence.

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.

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

A proposed electoral reform would grant Honduras's electoral authority (CNE) new powers to monitor parties and candidates for false news, manipulated AI content, and deepfakes, with fines ranging from five to 20 minimum monthly wages.

A former National Electoral Council representative endorsed electoral reforms including a presidential runoff system, citizen-selected voting boards to replace party representatives, and independent selection of electoral council members, citing concerns about fraud and legitimacy.

A Libre congresswoman said her party opposes electoral law reforms presented to Congress this week unless Libre gains representation on the National Electoral Council and Electoral Justice Court, arguing it merits a seat as one of the three largest political forces.

Former election officials have proposed roughly 70 amendments to Honduras's electoral law, including a presidential runoff requiring constitutional reform, a ban on leaves of absence for election council members, and measures to combat disinformation in campaigns.

Civil-society organizations are pressing Congress to prioritize electoral reforms including a presidential runoff, depoliticization of voting boards, and strengthening of electoral institutions, but lawmakers have not yet scheduled debate on substantive changes ahead of 2029 elections.

Juan Carlos Aguilar, transparency director of the ASJ, expressed concern that electoral reforms lack sufficient votes in Congress, warning that parties face political backlash and voter punishment if they fail to deliver on promised electoral-system fixes.

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.