Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Honduras's transparency law is already in force, and the formal registration process for beneficial owners of accounts and entities will open in January, officials say, to strengthen legal certainty and transparency.

Honduras's Open Government Alliance is holding awareness sessions with officials, civil society, academics, and private-sector representatives to gather input for its sixth national action plan on transparency, anti-corruption, digital governance, and civic participation.

Under new rules, Honduras's ENEE must use public tenders rather than direct contracts for future power purchases, with the first bidding process required to launch within 180 days and conclude within a year.

Honduras's proposed 2027 budget includes a provision classifying spending by Congress, the Presidential Office, and the national sports commission (Condepor) as reserved information, contravening the transparency and access-to-information law.

The Health Ministry has not submitted required quarterly reports to Congress on spending from a 500-million-lempira emergency health fund approved in February 2026, which was supposed to finance surgeries, expedite drug purchases, and equip operating rooms.

The Campaign Finance, Transparency, and Oversight Unit (UFTF) has identified newly elected congressmen and mayors for the 2026–2030 term who failed to submit required financial disclosures of their campaign spending.

The campaign finance oversight unit UFTF confirmed that all 104 candidates elected by the LIBRE party submitted their required financial disclosures on time.

Honduras must improve transparency, anti-corruption controls, and institutional oversight to qualify again for funding from the US-backed Millennium Challenge Account, according to a governance expert who highlighted recent reforms in energy and beneficial-ownership disclosure as steps forward.

Congress spending jumped in May to L11.4 million on advertising and L20.6 million on Mother's Day gift baskets distributed across all 18 departments, amid criticism from Criterio.hn over the lack of detail on recipients and allocation criteria.

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.

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.

Honduras's medical association is calling on the Health Ministry to publicly detail how emergency-relief funds have been spent, including breakdowns of contracts, trust funds (fideicomisos), patient-selection criteria, and progress on reducing the surgical backlog.

Congress president Tomás Zamrano signed an agreement joining the National Congress to the Open Government Partnership, a multilateral initiative aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.

Civil-society group ASJ is pressing for a public report on Honduras's National Program for Reduction of Electrical Losses, questioning the transparency of purchases and inventory management during its operation through January 2026.

Tulio Mariano Gonzales, the former vice president of BANADESA (Honduras's state development bank), alleged the institution is experiencing irregularities and called for an investigation to ensure financial transparency.

Honduras's information institute (IAIP) has launched three emergency portals designed to increase transparency and accountability in government agencies' use of public resources.

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.

Lawyer Pavel Espinal argued that labeling the auctioned aircraft "unairworthy" likely deterred potential bidders and raised technical doubts, rejecting the claim that military aircraft are exempt from airworthiness certification requirements.

Environmental organizations and indigenous leaders are demanding transparency in an oil contract signed for Honduras's Caribbean region, citing undisclosed terms they say harm local communities.

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.

La Prensa's investigation of government contracts found that Honduras's now-defunct Strategic Planning Ministry spent more than 2.2 million lempiras (about $88,000) on breakfasts, lunches, and catering for workshops, meetings, and internal events between 2023 and 2025, with over 8,300 food services contracted in total.

The National Congress unveiled a new online platform allowing citizens to track each lawmaker's voting record, proposed bills, committee assignments, and attendance, marking the first time such detailed legislative data has been publicly available in Honduras's 44-year democratic period.

Internal tensions in Honduras's Liberal Party have intensified as its executive council president and rival factions clash over financial transparency and accountability for funds spent in the 2025 elections.

Jorge Hernández of the Social Forum on External Debt and Development says the International Monetary Fund has agreed to decouple discussion of Honduras's beneficial-ownership law from other conditions, a shift from prior administrations that tied its approval to broader negotiations.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano and the public-information authority (IAIP) signed an agreement Monday to oversee an upgrade to the legislature's electronic voting system, which officials say will strengthen transparency and rebuild credibility after Honduras's Congress ranked last in Latin American legislative evaluations.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, the UN's deputy secretary-general and executive director of UNOPS, said the agency will push for transparent, competitive procurement processes in Honduras while expanding collaboration on infrastructure, renewable energy, and climate resilience.

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.

Honduras's Congress unanimously approved a resolution committing to greater transparency, including salary deductions for unexcused absences, restrictions on members of Congress handling social-aid funds, and permanent accreditation for civil-society monitors from groups like the ASJ and CNA to observe legislative sessions.

Honduras's Hospital María reported a record of more than 18,000 surgeries in its 2025 accountability report, with the private sector praising the pediatric hospital's decentralized model as a benchmark for transparency and efficiency.