Honduras Daily by Location

BAC Honduras and the OPEC Fund signed a $50 million financing agreement to expand credit access for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, with emphasis on women-led businesses and climate projects.

Economists forecast Honduras will end 2026 with inflation above 6%, exceeding the central bank's 5% target, as fuel and food prices surge despite a recent interest-rate increase.

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 50% vehicle registration discount for Honduran adults over 60 and retirees, approved by Congress in late July 2026, never went into effect and left seniors without the promised benefit as the annual registration period began July 1.

The Health Ministry distributed 20 portable colposcopy and thermocoagulation units across Honduras's 20 health regions to improve early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.

A Libre congressman introduced a bill to temporarily reduce fuel prices in Honduras, aiming to ease costs for households and sectors dependent on transportation.

Congress Energy Commission member Eder Mejía said the government's electric-sector reforms, which would forgive debts for users consuming under 200 kWh monthly, freeze rates for six months, and regularize illegal connections, are expected to be published in the official gazette next week.

Dr. Mario Javier García Martínez, former director of Forensic Medicine and a specialist in legal and forensic medicine who taught at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, died of a heart attack.

Honduras's traffic authority is evaluating outsourcing the production and printing of driver's licenses to a private company starting in 2027 to address chronic shortages of plastic material, though the DNVT commissioner has not confirmed whether the move would raise fees for users.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced a proposed reform that would allow funds seized from organized crime to fund police, prosecutors, courts, and the military even before final conviction, rather than holding them during ongoing trials.

Honduras's Constitutional Court admitted a constitutional appeal filed on behalf of Scherly Arriaga against a prosecution decision denying her access to investigative files related to the Permanent Commission case.

A National Congress legislative initiative seeks to introduce Bible reading and moral-values instruction in Honduran public schools through pamphlets emphasizing respect, service, and family principles, with parental consent required.

Honduras's campaign-finance authority (UFTF) sanctioned former Liberal presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla L146.4 million (about $5.9 million) for failing to disclose 21 private donations totaling L73.2 million, which Nasralla contests as political persecution while party leadership denies involvement in his campaign finances.

Attorney General Pablo Emilio Reyes is requesting a budget increase to L2.9 billion (about $116 million) and roughly double or triple the current 796 prosecutors to strengthen the Public Ministry's capacity to investigate organized crime and pursue serious offenses.

A work stoppage by the Honduran Medical Association has canceled roughly 30,000 outpatient consultations at public hospitals in recent weeks, with physicians continuing assemblies on September 25 to press demands over salaries, contracts, and working conditions.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $92.9 million in foreign exchange on September 24, establishing a weighted average exchange rate of L26.8931 per dollar for September 25.

At the UN General Assembly, Honduras and the Global Partnership for Education announced roughly $70 million for 'Toward a More Inclusive Education: Transforming Rural Schools,' a program aimed at expanding and improving rural school access.

Fosdeh researcher Jorge Henríquez warns that sustained inflation is forcing Honduran families to reduce food intake and nutrition, shift to cheaper staples, and take out loans to cover basic monthly expenses.

A proposal by liberal congressman Marlon Lara would strengthen oversight and control of chemical precursors used to make synthetic drugs like fentanilo, with education, monitoring, and sanctions aimed at protecting young people and national security.

Honduras's maquila exports fell 8.0% year-over-year through July 2026 to $2.91 billion, driven by a $221.3 million decline in textile and apparel sales to the US and reduced electrical-harness shipments, with industry leaders warning of global trade reconfiguration.

Agricultural producers say the fall planting season faces obstacles without adequate financing, crop insurance, and climate protections, with fears of reduced acreage and threats to grain supplies as drought continues to damage current crops.

Honduras has launched a shrimp-export initiative with China that aims to send over 100 shipping containers by year-end, projected to generate more than 350 million lempiras (about $14 million) in foreign exchange while establishing a consistent supply to the Chinese market.

Honduras's failure to enact and publish reforms to its electrical-sector framework has raised alarms among engineers and business analysts, who worry about last-minute renegotiations, weak implementation, and the state utility's deepening reliance on private contractors.

A National Congress member has proposed legislation to permanently ban foreigners convicted of grave crimes—homicide, kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking, drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized-crime offenses—from re-entering Honduras after serving their sentences.

The Honduran Congress referred a bill regulating chemical precursors used in clandestine drug labs to the Defense Committee, with backing from Defense, Security, and Health officials.

Honduras's 911 emergency system conducted technical tests of its nationwide cellphone alert system on September 24 and 25 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., sending test notifications to verify operation, coverage, and reception across mobile networks.

Lawmakers unanimously approved a motion to enforce a 2016 decree exempting public soccer fields and parks nationwide from paying for electricity, citing a decade-long failure by the state utility ENEE to apply the law and noting that youth sports programs are being harmed.

Honduras was unanimously elected to host the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government in 2028, a gathering of leaders from 22 nations that officials say positions the country as a destination for investment and cooperation.

The state utility ENEE has scheduled power outages on Friday, September 25, across Comayagua, Atlántida, the Central District, and San Pedro Sula for maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, with outages lasting from early morning to late afternoon depending on the zone.

The Education Commission met with the Education Ministry and UPNFM to address concerns about the 10 Bilingual Normal Schools, with lawmakers denying rumors of closures and reaffirming that grades 7–9 will maintain bilingual instruction.