Liberal Party of Honduras
Encyclopedia
The Liberal Party of Honduras (Spanish
: Partido Liberal de Honduras) is a centre-left
liberal political party
in Honduras
that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International
. The PLH is identified with the color red while its principal rival, the National Party of Honduras
(PNH), is blue.
, 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
.
(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 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.
, 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 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.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Partido Liberal de Honduras) is a centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
liberal political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International
Liberal International
Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the...
. The PLH is identified with the color red while its principal rival, the National Party of Honduras
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...
(PNH), is blue.
2001 elections
At the legislative electionsHonduran general election, 2001
General elections were held in Honduras to elect a president and parliament on 25 November 2001.-Presidential election:Five candidates stood for election, representing the five parties with parliamentary representation...
, held on 25 November 2001, the party won 40.8% of the popular vote and 55 out of 128 seats in Congress
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...
. Its candidate at the presidential
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....
elections, Rafael Pineda Ponce
Rafael Pineda Ponce
Rafael Pineda Ponce is a Honduran politician for the Liberal Party of Honduras . He served as Minister of Education under the presidency of Manuel Zelaya from 2006 to 2007...
won 44.3%, but was defeated by Ricardo Maduro
Ricardo Maduro
Ricardo Rodolfo Maduro Joest is a former President of Honduras and Bank of Honduras chairman. Maduro graduated from The Lawrenceville School and later Stanford University...
of the National Party of Honduras
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...
.
2005 elections
The PLH won the closely contested 2005 presidential race, but the PNH has a majority in the National Congress due to an alliance with the Christian DemocratsChristian Democratic Party of Honduras
The Christian Democratic Party of Honduras , known by the abbreviation DC, is a centre-left political party in Honduras....
(Democracia Cristiana).
In the general election
Honduran general election, 2005
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...
of 27 November 2005, the party won 62 out of 128 seats in the National Congress
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...
; and its Presidential candidate, 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...
, polled 49.9% to defeat the PNH's 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...
, 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
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
linked ALBA angering conservatives and his own Liberal Party. He was deposed by coup d'état
2009 Honduran coup d'état
The 2009 Honduran coup d'état, part of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis, occurred when the Honduran Army ousted President Manuel Zelaya and sent him into exile on June 28, 2009. It was prompted by his attempts to schedule a non binding poll on holding a referendum about convening a...
in 2009 and replaced by Roberto Micheletti
Roberto Micheletti
Roberto Micheletti Baín is a former de facto president of Honduras who served as a result of the 2009 coup d'état. The Honduran military was ordered by the Supreme Court to forcefully detain President Manuel Zelaya once the Court stated he was violating the Honduran constitution; Zelaya was exiled...
, also of the Liberal Party.
2009 elections
At the 2009 electionsHonduran general election, 2009
The Honduran general election, 2009 was held in Honduras on 29 November 2009, including presidential, parliamentary and local elections. Voters went to the polls to elect:*A new President of Honduras to serve a four-year term starting January 27, 2010....
, the first since the 2009 Honduran coup d'état
2009 Honduran coup d'état
The 2009 Honduran coup d'état, part of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis, occurred when the Honduran Army ousted President Manuel Zelaya and sent him into exile on June 28, 2009. It was prompted by his attempts to schedule a non binding poll on holding a referendum about convening a...
which removed 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...
from power, the Liberal Party was heavily defeated by the 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...
candidate for president
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....
, Porfirio Lobo Sosa winning the presidency with, according to the Electoral Tribunal, over 1,212,846 votes and 56.56% of the national total 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
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...
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.
See also
- Liberalism worldwideLiberalism worldwideThis article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
- List of liberal parties
- Liberalism in HondurasLiberalism in HondurasLiberalism in Honduras, as a form of Latin American liberalism, has old historical roots. Influenced by the French revolutionaries in the 1790s, the door was opened for ideas of positivism...
- Gremio Estudiantil Revolucionario Liberal
External links
- Liberal Party of Honduras official site