HONDURAS: parliamentary elections Congreso Nacional, 1997

HONDURAS
Parliamentary Chamber: Congreso Nacional

ELECTIONS HELD IN 1997

<<< Return to the Historical Archive page of parliamentary election results for HONDURAS <<<

Chamber:

Congreso Nacional

Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

30 November 1997

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

Background and outcome of elections:

The 1997 congressional elections were held simultaneously with polling for President of the Republic, some 300 mayors and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament.
The main contestants among the five in the running to succeed Mr. Carlos Reina as President were Mr. Carlos Flores Facussé of the ruling Liberal Party (PL) and Mrs. Alba Nora Gunera de Melgar of the National Party (PN). During the campaign, Mr. Flores advocated a Ť new agenda ť of 10 principles which included creating more jobs and revising salaries periodically to keep pace with inflation, promoting education via scholarships for low income families, fighting corruption and the causes of crime, improving women’s rights and setting up a new system of pension savings. Mrs. Gunera countered with a Ť plan for Government ť according to which she proposed to fight corruption and pursue electoral reform, make Honduras a free trade zone, simplify and reduce income tax payments and assist small businesses, reduce illiteracy (from 30% to 5% of the population) by the year 2002, modernise the health system and set up private pension funds, and professionalise the police force and fight crime. Both rivals vowed to combat the widespread poverty plaguing the nation and Mr. Flores pledged to follow the market economy road undertaken by Mr. Reina.
Polling day was monitored by international observers. According to official results released by the National Election Tribunal on 15 December, the centre-right PL maintained its control of Congress by capturing 67 of the 128 seats while the right-wing PN secured 54. The remaining seven seats were won by minor parties. Mr. Flores easily triumphed in the presidential race and promised to form a Government of "national unity". He was inaugurated on 27 January 1998.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (30 November 1997): Elections results

Number of registered electors 2,800,000 (approx.)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group Total Gain/Loss

Liberal Party (PL) 67 -4

National Party (PN) 54 -1

Innovation and Unity Party - Social Democracy (PINU-SD) 5 +3

Party of Democratic Unification (PUD) 1 +1

Christian Democratic Party (PDCH) 1 +1

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men: 116

Women: 12

Percent of women: 9.38

<<< Return to the Historical Archive page of parliamentary election results for HONDURAS <<<

Chamber:
	Congreso Nacional
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	30 November 1997
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1997 congressional elections were held simultaneously with polling for President of the Republic, some 300 mayors and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament. The main contestants among the five in the running to succeed Mr. Carlos Reina as President were Mr. Carlos Flores Facussé of the ruling Liberal Party (PL) and Mrs. Alba Nora Gunera de Melgar of the National Party (PN). During the campaign, Mr. Flores advocated a Ť new agenda ť of 10 principles which included creating more jobs and revising salaries periodically to keep pace with inflation, promoting education via scholarships for low income families, fighting corruption and the causes of crime, improving women’s rights and setting up a new system of pension savings. Mrs. Gunera countered with a Ť plan for Government ť according to which she proposed to fight corruption and pursue electoral reform, make Honduras a free trade zone, simplify and reduce income tax payments and assist small businesses, reduce illiteracy (from 30% to 5% of the population) by the year 2002, modernise the health system and set up private pension funds, and professionalise the police force and fight crime. Both rivals vowed to combat the widespread poverty plaguing the nation and Mr. Flores pledged to follow the market economy road undertaken by Mr. Reina. Polling day was monitored by international observers. According to official results released by the National Election Tribunal on 15 December, the centre-right PL maintained its control of Congress by capturing 67 of the 128 seats while the right-wing PN secured 54. The remaining seven seats were won by minor parties. Mr. Flores easily triumphed in the presidential race and promised to form a Government of "national unity". He was inaugurated on 27 January 1998.

Round no 1 (30 November 1997): Elections results
Number of registered electors	2,800,000 (approx.)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	Gain/Loss
Liberal Party (PL)	67	-4
National Party (PN)	54	-1
Innovation and Unity Party - Social Democracy (PINU-SD)	5	+3
Party of Democratic Unification (PUD)	1	+1
Christian Democratic Party (PDCH)	1	+1

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	116
Women:	12
Percent of women:	9.38