| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Congreso Nacional / National Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
29 November 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
On 29 May 2009, the Electoral Tribunal called parliamentary and presidential elections for 29 November. These elections took place after a coup d'état in June 2009.
In the previous elections, held in November 2005, the Liberal Party (PL) won 62 of the 128 seats in the National Congress; the ruling party at the time, the National Party (PN), took 55 seats. A former minister of investment, Mr. Manuel Zelaya (PL), was elected President, defeating the then Speaker of the Congress, Mr. Porfirio Lobo Sosa (PN). In January 2006, the National Congress elected Mr. Roberto Micheletti (PL) as its new Speaker.
In August 2008, Honduras joined the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA), promoted by Venezuela. This reportedly alienated many PL members.
On 24 March 2009, President Zelaya called a referendum for 28 June which would ask Hondurans whether they wished to vote to establish a Constituent Assembly that would prepare a new constitution.
Both the National Congress and the army opposed the idea, arguing that the President was trying to lift the presidential term limit. Mr. Zelaya's four-year term was due to end in January 2010, and he was constitutionally barred from running in the 2009 elections. On 25 June, the Supreme Court ruled that the consultation (referendum) was unconstitutional. The commander-in-chief of the armed forces subsequently refused to follow the President's order to distribute ballot boxes for the referendum. The President then dismissed him.
On 27 June, the National Congress started impeachment proceedings against the President to determine whether he had violated the Constitution.
In the early morning of 28 June, before the start of the planned consultation, the army seized President Zelaya and put him on a flight to Costa Rica. Later on the same day, the National Congress voted to remove the President from office for "repeated violations of the Constitution and the law". The Supreme Court announced that it had authorized the President's removal to uphold law and order. Speaker Micheletti became de facto President. The Electoral Tribunal announced that presidential elections would take place on 29 November 2009 as scheduled. Mr. Micheletti would remain de facto President until 27 January 2010, when the newly elected president would take office. On 30 June, the Attorney General issued a warrant for Mr. Zelaya's arrest that listed 18 crimes, including abuse of power and treason.
The Organization of American States (OAS) condemned the military coup and demanded Mr. Zelaya's immediate reinstatement. On 4 July, it suspended Honduras' membership. Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias hosted three rounds of talks from 9 July between representatives of Mr. Zelaya and de facto President Micheletti, but the parties failed to reach an agreement.
On 21 September, Mr. Zelaya secretly returned to Honduras and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. De facto President Micheletti initially demanded that Brazil hand over Mr. Zelaya to stand trial. The representatives of the interim government subsequently held several rounds of informal talks with Mr. Zelaya amid mounting international criticism. On 29 October, under the mediation of US diplomats, both sides signed an agreement to recognize the 2009 election results and form a unity government that would rule the country until Mr. Zelaya's term expired in January 2010. The agreement also stipulated that the National Congress would vote whether to restore the pre-June 2009 situation of the country. If approved, Mr. Zelaya could be restored to power until the next president was sworn in on 27 January 2010. The agreement did not set any deadline for the vote.
On 5 November, de facto President Micheletti formed a "unity" government without Mr. Zelaya's participation, arguing that the latter had not submitted any representatives for the new government. Mr. Zelaya announced that he would pull out of the US-brokered deal and called for a boycott of the presidential election. On 17 November, Speaker Jose Alfredo Saavedra announced that the National Congress would convene on 2 December to debate Mr. Zelaya's reinstatement. He added that it would have to consult with the Supreme Court before the vote. On 26 November, the Supreme Court recommended that the National Congress vote against reinstating Mr. Zelaya as President since he faced several criminal charges.
The 2009 elections were held amid international criticism over the legitimacy of the presidential elections. Once again they pitted the PN against the PL. The latter was reportedly split over the ouster of Mr. Zelaya.
The PN again fielded Mr. Lobo as its candidate. The PL endorsed Mr. Elvin Santos, who had served as vice-president under Mr. Zelaya.
Both parties campaigned on similar platforms, promising to deal with the global recession, encourage private investment to create jobs, tackle crime and increase social benefits for the poor. Seventy per cent of the country's 7 million inhabitants reportedly live in poverty. The election manifestos were overshadowed by the political crisis triggered by the coup.
The PN's presidential candidate, Mr. Lobo, said that, if elected, he would talk with Mr. Zelaya with a view to allowing him to leave the Brazilian embassy without fear of arrest.
On 26 November, the main presidential candidates signed an agreement pledging to respect the outcome of the elections and constitutional term limits for the presidency.
Mr. Santos (PL) reiterated that the agreement was important so as to avoid another political crisis. He added, in reference to the Presidents, that the National Congress must ensure that "no one tries to invent a reason to stay". He also promised to withdraw from ALBA, which, in his view, had given rise to "enormous problems" instead of benefits.
Student organizations blocked the entrance to a university in the capital Tegucigalpa that was supposed to be used as a polling station. They argued that the elections were illegal.
On 29 November, around 50 per cent of the 4.6 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
Amid fears of unrest, about 35,000 police and soldiers were deployed across the country. Several hundred protesters gathered in the city of San Pedro Sula but no major incidents were reported.
The final results gave 71 seats to the PN. The PL followed with 45 seats. The remainder went to small parties. 23 women were elected.
Mr. Lobo (PN) won the presidential elections with 56 per cent of the votes.
Argentina and Brazil announced that they would not recognize any government installed after the 2009 elections. They argued that doing so would legitimize the coup. Costa Rica and the United States announced that they would accept the election results. The United States said that the elections had been an important step forward but that significant work was still needed to restore democratic and constitutional order in Honduras.
On 2 December, the outgoing legislature voted against reinstating Mr. Zelaya as President.
On 21 January 2010, the newly elected National Congress held its first session. On 25 January, it elected Mr. Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado (PN) as its new Speaker.
On 27 January, Mr. Lobo was sworn in as the country's President.
Shortly after Mr. Lobo was sworn in, Mr. Zelaya went into exile in the Dominican Republic. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 29 November 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
230'0056
154'044
2'146'012 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| National Party (PN) |
71
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Party (PL) |
45
|
|
|
|
|
| Christian Democratic Party of Honduras (PDCH) |
5
|
|
|
|
|
| Party of Democratic Unification (PUD) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
| Innovation and Unity Party (PINU) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
105
23
17.97%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
National Congress (12.01.2012)
http://www.tse.hn/jc/documentos/DECLARATORIA%20FINAL%202009.pdf |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
