Liberal Party of Honduras
Partido Liberal de Honduras
PresidentYani Rosenthal
FounderPolicarpo Bonilla[1]
Founded5 February 1891 (1891-02-05)
HeadquartersTegucigalpa, MDC
IdeologyLiberalism
Political positionCentre
Regional affiliationCenter-Democratic Integration Group
Continental affiliationRELIAL
COPPPAL
International affiliationLiberal International
Colours  Red
Anthem
"Himno del Partido Liberal de Honduras"
"Hymn of the Liberal Party of Honduras"
National Congress
22 / 128
Party flag
Website
www.partidoliberal.hn

The Liberal Party of Honduras (Spanish: Partido Liberal de Honduras) is a centrist[2] liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. It is the oldest extant political party in the country, and one of the two main parties that have until recently dominated Honduran politics. The party is a member of the Liberal International. The PLH is identified with the colours red and white, as the flag Francisco Morazán used in most of his military campaigns during time of the Central American Federal Republic.

The party is against the legalisation of abortion, which is punishable by imprisonment in Honduras.[3]

2001 elections

At the legislative elections, held on 25 November 2001, the party won 40.8% of the popular vote and 55 out of 128 seats in Congress. Its candidate at the presidential elections, Rafael Pineda Ponce won 44.3%, but was defeated by Ricardo Maduro of the National Party of Honduras.

2005 elections

The PLH won the closely contested 2005 presidential race, but at the moment the PNH has a majority in the National Congress due to an alliance with the Christian Democrats (Democracia Cristiana).

In the general election of 27 November 2005, the party won 62 out of 128 seats in the National Congress; and its presidential candidate, Manuel Zelaya, polled 49.9% to defeat the PNH's Porfirio Pepe Lobo, restoring the PLH as the presidential party. He was inaugurated on 27 January 2006.

Elected as a liberal, Zelaya shifted dramatically to the political left and socialism during his presidency, forging an alliance with the Hugo Chávez-linked ALBA,[4] angering conservatives and his own Liberal Party. He was deposed by a coup d'état in 2009 and replaced by Roberto Micheletti, also of the Liberal Party.

2009 elections

At the 2009 elections, which took place after the 2009 Honduran coup d'état that removed Manuel Zelaya from power, the Liberal Party suffered a heavy defeat by the National Party, with the Nationals' candidate for president, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, winning the presidency with (according to the Electoral Tribunal) over 1,212,846 votes and 56.56% of the national total of valid votes (in all participation as acknowledged by the tribunal was of 41%) compared with 816,874 votes and 38.1% of the national total for Liberal candidate Elvin Santos. In the elections for the National Congress of Honduras the Liberal Party won a total of 45 seats, dropping from its previous 61. The elections were held under a tense political atmosphere without the accustomed OAS observers and under a decree restricting civil rights with the elected president Zelaya under military siege in the Brazilian embassy at Tegucigalpa. Sectors opposed to the 2009 coup claim the participation was much less than reported by the authorities, but this claim has not been verified.[5][6]

In 2011 Zelaya's supporters left the Liberal Party and founded Liberty and Refoundation.

Recent activities

Following Zelaya's split, the Liberal Party has seen a decline in its support. At the 2013 election, liberal candidate Mauricio Villeda got 20.3% of votes, arriving third.

The party further declined in the 2017 election, its candidate Luis Zelaya only obtaining 14.74% and again arriving third. However, the party maintained its 26 seats in the parliament. The Liberal Party denounced the result as fraudulent.[7]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election Party candidate Votes % Result
1891 Policarpo Bonilla 15,300 30.81% Lost Red X
1894 Policarpo Bonilla 42,667 98.84% Elected Green tick
1898 Terencio Sierra 36,756 82.53%
1902 Juan Ángel Arias Boquín 25,118 42.9% Lost Red X
1919 Rafael López Gutiérrez 79,068 81.0% Elected Green tick
1923 Juan Ángel Arias 20,424 19.4% Lost Red X
1924 Did not run
1928 Vicente Mejía Colindres 62,319 56.62% Elected Green tick
1932 Angel Zúñiga Huete 61,643 56.85% Lost Red X
1948 210 00.08%
1954 Ramón Villeda Morales 121,213 48.10% Elected Green tick
1957 205,135 61.85%
1971 Jorge Bueso Arias 269,989 47.38% Lost Red X
1981 Roberto Suazo Cordova 636,437 53.9% Elected Green tick
1985 José Simón Azcona del Hoyo 786,624 51.02%
1989 Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé 776,698 44.33% Lost Red X
1993 Carlos Roberto Reina 906,793 53.01% Elected Green tick
1997 Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé 1,040,403 52.65%
2001 Rafael Pineda Ponce 962,446 44.2% Lost Red X
2005 Manuel Zelaya 999,006 45.6% Elected Green tick
2009 Elvin Santos 816,874 38.10% Lost Red X
2013 Mauricio Villeda 632,320 20.30%
2017 Luis Orlando Zelaya 484,187 14.74%
2021 Yani Rosenthal 335,762 10.00%

Note

In the 1957 election Ramón Villeda Morales was elected by the Constituent Assembly

National Congress elections

Election Votes % Seats +/– Position
1923
9 / 48
Increase 9 Increase 3rd
1924
0 / 46
Decrease 9 Increase 2nd
1926
6 / 46
Increase 6
1928
21 / 48
Increase 15
1930
23 / 48
Increase 2
1932
13 / 56
Decrease 10
1934
4 / 59
Decrease 9
1936 46 00.01%
0 / 59
Decrease 4
1942
0 / 45
Steady
1948 210 00.08%
0 / 49
Steady
1954 121,213 48.10%
24 / 59
Increase 24 Increase 1st
1956 41,724 10.08%
0 / 58
Decrease 24 Decrease 2nd
1957 205,135 61.85%
36 / 58
Increase 36 Increase 1st
1965 272,198 44.85%
29 / 64
Decrease 7 Decrease 2nd
1971 269,989 47.38%
32 / 64
Increase 3
1980 495,779 51.68%
35 / 71
Increase 2 Increase 1st
1981 636,437 53.9%
44 / 82
Increase 9
1985 786,624 51.02%
67 / 134
Increase 23
1989 776,698 44.33%
51 / 128
Decrease 16 Decrease 2nd
1993 906,793 53.01%
71 / 128
Increase 20 Increase 1st
1997 1,040,403 52.65%
67 / 128
Decrease 4
2001 850,290 40.8%
55 / 128
Decrease 12 Decrease 2nd
2005 7,746,806 44.84%
62 / 128
Increase 7 Increase 1st
2009 4,937,995 30.78%
45 / 128
Decrease 17 Decrease 2nd
2013 4,670,157 16.97%
27 / 128
Decrease 18 Decrease 3rd
2017 484,187 20.31%
26 / 128
Decrease 1
2021 3,531,887 11.14%
22 / 128
Decrease 4 Decrease 4th

See also

References

  1. Elections and Events 1875-1899 The Library, UC San Diego
  2. Pearson, Frederic S.; Walker, Scott; Stern, Stephanie (2007), "Military Intervention and the Question of Democratization and Inter-Ethnic Peace", Governance, Conflict Analysis and Conflict Resolution, Ian Randle Publishers, p. 252, ISBN 9789766372590
  3. "Aborto en Honduras seguirá siendo un crimen". La Prensa. 4 May 2017.
  4. "President Zelaya voted in as Liberal turned into ally of Chavez' ALBA". MercoPress.
  5. Vickers, George (25 November 2009). "The Sham Elections in Honduras". Foreign Policy.
  6. Carroll, Rory (27 November 2009). "Honduras coup: troops deployed to oversee election". The Guardian. London.
  7. ""Nasralla ganó las elecciones en el 82% de nuestras actas": Luis Zelaya". tiempo.hn (in Spanish). 6 December 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
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