Liberal Party of Honduras
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Liberal Party of Honduras Partido Liberal de Honduras | |
|---|---|
| President | Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo |
| Founder | Policarpo Bonilla[1] |
| Founded | 5 February 1891 |
| Headquarters | Tegucigalpa, MDC |
| Ideology | Liberalism |
| Political position | Centre |
| Regional affiliation | Center-Democratic Integration Group |
| Continental affiliation | RELIAL COPPPAL |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Colors | Red |
| Anthem | "Hymn of the Liberal Party of Honduras" |
| National Congress | 28 / 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. The party is a member of the Liberal International. The PLH is identified with the color red and white, as the flag Francisco Morazan used in most of his military campaigns during time of the Central American Federal Republic.
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 conservative, Zelaya shifted dramatically to the political left during his presidency, forging an alliance with the Hugo Chávez linked ALBA[3] angering conservatives and his own Liberal Party. He was deposed by coup d'état in 2009 and replaced by Roberto Micheletti, also of the Liberal Party.
2009 elections[]
At the 2009 elections, the first since the 2009 Honduran coup d'état which removed Manuel Zelaya from power, the Liberal Party was heavily defeated by the National Party 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 Elvin Santos who was the Liberal candidate, and in the elections to the National Congress of Honduras the Liberal Party of Honduras won 45 seats from its previous 61, out of 128 seats in total. The elections were held under a tense political atmosphere without the accustomed OAS observers and under a civil rights restriction decree, 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.[4][5]
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.[6]
The party is against the legalization of abortion, which is punishable by imprisonment in Honduras.[7]
Electoral history[]
Presidential elections[]
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 | Policarpo Bonilla | 15,300 | 30.81% | Lost 
|
| 1894 | Policarpo Bonilla | 42,667 | 98.84% | Won 
|
| Terencio Sierra | 36,756 | 82.53% | Won
| |
| 1902 | Juan Ángel Arias Boquín | 25,118 | 42.9% | Lost
|
| 1919 | Rafael López Gutiérrez | 79,068 | 81.0% | Elected
|
| 1923 | Juan Ángel Arias | 20,424 | 19.4% | Lost
|
| 1924 | Did not run | |||
| 1928 | Vicente Mejía Colindres | 62,319 | 56.62% | Elected
|
| 1932 | Angel Zúñiga Huete | 61,643 | Lost
| |
| 1948 | 210 | 00.08% | Lost
| |
| 1954 | Ramón Villeda Morales | 121,213 | 48.10% | Elected
|
| 1957 | 37 | Elected
| ||
| 1971 | Jorge Bueso Arias | 269,989 | 47.38% | Lost
|
| 1981 | Roberto Suazo Cordova | 636,437 | 53.9% | Elected
|
| 1985 | José Simón Azcona del Hoyo | 786,624 | 51.02% | Elected
|
| 1989 | Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé | 776,698 | 44.33% | Lost
|
| 1993 | Carlos Roberto Reina | 906,793 | 53.01% | Elected
|
| 1997 | Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé | 1,040,403 | 52.65% | Elected
|
| 2001 | Rafael Pineda Ponce | 962,446 | 44.2% | Lost
|
| 2005 | Manuel Zelaya | 999,006 | 45.6% | Elected
|
| 2009 | Elvin Santos | 816,874 | 38.10% | Lost
|
| 2013 | Mauricio Villeda | 632,320 | 20.30% | Lost
|
| 2017 | Luis Orlando Zelaya | 484,187 | 14.74% | Lost
|
Note[]
In the 1957 election Ramón Villeda Morales was elected by the Constituent Assembly
National Congress elections[]
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 9 / 48
|
 9
|
3rd
| ||
| 1924 | 0 / 46
|
 9
|
2nd
| ||
| 1926 | 6 / 46
|
6
|
 2nd
| ||
| 1928 | 21 / 48
|
15
|
2nd
| ||
| 1930 | 23 / 48
|
2
|
2nd
| ||
| 1932 | 13 / 56
|
10
|
2nd
| ||
| 1934 | 4 / 59
|
9
|
2nd
| ||
| 1936 | 46 | 00.01% | 0 / 59
|
4
|
2nd
|
| 1942 | 0 / 45
|
|
2nd
| ||
| 1948 | 210 | 00.08% | 0 / 49
|
|
2nd
|
| 1954 | 121,213 | 48.10% | 24 / 59
|
24
|
1st
|
| 1956 | 41,724 | 10.08% | 0 / 58
|
24
|
2nd
|
| 1957 | 205,135 | 61.85% | 36 / 58
|
36
|
1st
|
| 1965 | 272,198 | 44.85% | 29 / 64
|
7
|
2nd
|
| 1971 | 269,989 | 47.38% | 32 / 64
|
3
|
2nd
|
| 1980 | 495,779 | 51.68% | 35 / 71
|
2
|
1st
|
| 1981 | 636,437 | 53.9% | 44 / 82
|
9
|
1st
|
| 1985 | 786,624 | 51.02% | 67 / 134
|
23
|
1st
|
| 1989 | 776,698 | 44.33% | 51 / 128
|
16
|
2nd
|
| 1993 | 906,793 | 53.01% | 71 / 128
|
20
|
1st
|
| 1997 | 1,040,403 | 52.65% | 67 / 128
|
4
|
1st
|
| 2001 | 850,290 | 40.8% | 55 / 128
|
12
|
2nd
|
| 2005 | 62 / 128
|
7
|
1st
| ||
| 2009 | 4,937,995 | 30.78% | 45 / 128
|
17
|
2nd
|
| 2013 | 4,670,157 | 16.97% | 27 / 128
|
18
|
3rd
|
| 2017 | 484,187 | 20.31% | 26 / 128
|
1
|
3rd
|
See also[]
- Liberalism worldwide
- List of liberal parties
- Liberalism in Honduras
References[]
- ^ Elections and Events 1875-1899 The Library, UC San Diego
- ^ 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
- ^ President Zelaya voted in as Liberal turned into ally of Chavez’ ALBA
- ^ "The Sham Elections in Honduras".
- ^ Carroll, Rory (27 November 2009). "Honduras coup: troops deployed to oversee election". The Guardian. London.
- ^ tiempo.hn https://tiempo.hn/nasralla-gano-elecciones-luis-zelaya/. Retrieved 2019-09-24. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ^ http://www.laprensa.hn/honduras/1067985-410/aborto-en-honduras-seguir%C3%A1-siendo-un-crimen
External links[]
- Liberal Party of Honduras official site
| show Member parties of international liberal organisations |
|---|
| show Authority control  |
|---|
- Liberal International
- Liberal parties in North America
- Political parties in Honduras
- Political parties established in 1891
- 1891 establishments in Honduras