Honduran general election, 2005
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in Honduras to elect the President of Honduras
, Vice-President, and deputies to the National Congress of Honduras
on 27 November, 2005. For the 2005 election the constitution was amended to create a single vice-president (Hondurans previously elected three 'presidential designates' on a ticket along with the presidential candidate). For the 2005 election the system of proportional representation
was also changed from a closed list
to an open list
- the parties also used open-list primaries
to select candidate slates. The list system reduced the re-election rate of incumbents, with just 31% of deputies in the new Congress having seats in the 2002–2006 Congress.
s (internal party elections) were held for the first time in Honduras in this election, in February 2005. Only the Liberal Party
and National Party
participated in these elections, since the smaller parties lack significant factions. They were supervised by the official electoral body, and the 72 hour ban on the sale of alcohol
which accompanies all official elections was also imposed over that weekend.
Forty-five percent of the electorate voted in the primaries: 24% for the Liberals and 21% for the National Party. According to the Country Report quoted in the U.C. San Diego Library Latin American election results, "The low participation rate in the primaries . . . is a reflection of the lack of public faith in Honduras's political institutions and leaders."
The electoral law requirement that women comprise at least 30% of candidates was not fulfilled by any faction in the primaries.
), Porfirio Pepe Lobo
(National Party), Manuel Zelaya
(Liberal Party), Juan Almendares (Democratic Unification Party
) and Juan Ramón Martínez
(Christian Democrats
).
led by a wide margin for much of the campaign. "However, as the contest got dirtier, Zelaya — who was on the receiving end of more of the negative campaigning (portraying him as corrupt and incapable of running the country) — benefited from popular support for the underdog."
Analyses after the election concluded that many National Party supporters stayed at home, confident of Lobo's victory, while the Liberal Party got its supporters to the polls.
According to an exit poll published by a local TV channel, Zelaya was ahead by 50.6 percent, against Lobo's 44.3%. However, Lobo, the National Party candidate did not accept the result of the election, arguing that the figures his own party has have actually put him ahead in the race. The National Party had asked for a vote recount, accusing the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, the country's top electoral authority, of having committed gross errors in the process and 48 hours later had not allegedly still not produced any official results.
Finally, after 10 days of waiting the National Party conceded the elections to Manuel Zelaya, the Liberal Party candidate and now, the president elect.
President of Honduras
This page lists the Presidents of Honduras.Colonial Honduras declared its independence from Spain on 15 September 1821. From 5 January 1822 to 1 July 1823, Honduras was part of the First Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide....
, Vice-President, and deputies to the National Congress of Honduras
National Congress of Honduras
The National Congress is the legislative branch of the government of Honduras.The Honduran Congress is a unicameral legislature. The current President of the National Congress of Honduras is Juan Orlando Hernández. Its members are 128 deputies, who are elected on a proportional representation...
on 27 November, 2005. For the 2005 election the constitution was amended to create a single vice-president (Hondurans previously elected three 'presidential designates' on a ticket along with the presidential candidate). For the 2005 election the system of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
was also changed from a closed list
Closed list
Closed list describes the variant of party-list proportional representation where voters can only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected...
to an open list
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
- the parties also used open-list primaries
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to select candidate slates. The list system reduced the re-election rate of incumbents, with just 31% of deputies in the new Congress having seats in the 2002–2006 Congress.
Primaries
Primary electionPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s (internal party elections) were held for the first time in Honduras in this election, in February 2005. Only the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Honduras
The Liberal Party of Honduras is a centre-left liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International...
and National Party
National Party of Honduras
The National Party is a centre-right conservative political party in Honduras and the main right-wing political party in the country. Founded in 1902 the PNH is identified with the color blue as its rival the Liberal Party of Honduras , is red. All the democratic elections in Honduras have been...
participated in these elections, since the smaller parties lack significant factions. They were supervised by the official electoral body, and the 72 hour ban on the sale of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
which accompanies all official elections was also imposed over that weekend.
Forty-five percent of the electorate voted in the primaries: 24% for the Liberals and 21% for the National Party. According to the Country Report quoted in the U.C. San Diego Library Latin American election results, "The low participation rate in the primaries . . . is a reflection of the lack of public faith in Honduras's political institutions and leaders."
The electoral law requirement that women comprise at least 30% of candidates was not fulfilled by any faction in the primaries.
Presidential election
There were five presidential candidates; Carlos Sosa Coello (Innovation and Unity PartyInnovation and Unity Party
Innovation and Unity Party is a centre-left political party in Honduras, established in 1970. PINU was created by Miguel Andonie Fernández as a democratic, moderate left-wing alternative to the two major parties and the military régime.-2001 elections:...
), Porfirio Pepe Lobo
Porfirio Pepe Lobo
Porfirio Lobo Sosa , known as Pepe Lobo, is the President of Honduras, a politician and agricultural landowner. A member of the National Party and a former deputy in the National Congress of Honduras from 1990, he was President of the National Congress of Honduras from 2002 to 2006...
(National Party), Manuel Zelaya
Manuel Zelaya
José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is a politician who was President of Honduras from January 27, 2006 until June 28, 2009. The eldest son of a wealthy businessman, he inherited his father's nickname "Mel," and, before entering politics, was involved in his family's logging and timber businesses.Elected...
(Liberal Party), Juan Almendares (Democratic Unification Party
Democratic Unification Party
The Democratic Unification Party is a left-wing political party in Honduras. PUD was founded on 29 September 1992 by the merger of four leftist clandestine or semiclandestine political parties, in the context of the changed political situation in Central America at that period, following the end...
) and Juan Ramón Martínez
Juan Ramón Martínez
Juan Ramón "Mon" Martínez is a retired football player from El Salvador.-Club career:He played in Guatemala, where he won a title with Municipal in 1965–1966...
(Christian Democrats
Christian Democratic Party of Honduras
The Christian Democratic Party of Honduras , known by the abbreviation DC, is a centre-left political party in Honduras....
).
Campaign
Porfirio Pepe LoboPorfirio Pepe Lobo
Porfirio Lobo Sosa , known as Pepe Lobo, is the President of Honduras, a politician and agricultural landowner. A member of the National Party and a former deputy in the National Congress of Honduras from 1990, he was President of the National Congress of Honduras from 2002 to 2006...
led by a wide margin for much of the campaign. "However, as the contest got dirtier, Zelaya — who was on the receiving end of more of the negative campaigning (portraying him as corrupt and incapable of running the country) — benefited from popular support for the underdog."
Analyses after the election concluded that many National Party supporters stayed at home, confident of Lobo's victory, while the Liberal Party got its supporters to the polls.
Results
Finally, after 10 days of waiting the National Party conceded the elections to Manuel Zelaya, the Liberal Party candidate and now, the president elect.