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The Liberal Party of Honduras (Spanish: Partido Liberal de Honduras) is a centrist[2]liberalpolitical party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. It is the oldest existent political party in the country; further, it is one of the two main parties that have, until recently, dominated Honduran politics. The party is a member of the Liberal International. The PLH is identified with the colors red and white, as the flag Francisco Morazán used in most of his military campaigns during time of the Central American Federal Republic.
The party is against the legalization of abortion, which is punishable by imprisonment in Honduras.[3]
History
Early years
The Liberal Party emerged from the political and economic rivalries that dominated Honduras during the 19th century. The country’s liberal and conservative factions were less ideologically distinct than their labels suggest; instead, they were vehicles for elites competing for control over limited state resources. Early Honduran elections were marked by frequent outbreaks of violence, with defeated factions often resorting to armed conflict. These struggles hindered economic development, as governmental resources were frequently diverted to fund military campaigns and settle wartime debts. By the early 20th century, the Liberal Party had become firmly entrenched as one of the two main political parties, alongside the newly formed National Party of Honduras, a splinter group created by dissatisfied PLH members. The bipartite political system took shape during this period, with both parties backed by foreign interests, particularly the powerful American-owned banana companies that dominated the Honduran economy. While these companies initially supported both parties, a merger in 1929 resulted in the PNH securing a greater share of their financial backing, giving the PNH an advantage during this critical period.[4][5]
The Cariato Regime (1932–1949)
The rise of General Tiburcio Carías Andino and his establishment of a civilian dictatorship, colloquially referred to as the "Cariato," marked a significant setback for democratic politics in Honduras. The PLH, with David Masso Hernández as its top leader, declared itself a party of the Democratic Left in 1932, thus maintaining its ideology of social liberalism or center-left until the end of the 20th century.[6] Carías, a member of the PNH, ruled with an iron grip from 1932 to 1949, suppressing political opposition and stifling the PLH. Many Liberal leaders were forced into exile, but despite this, the party survived.[7]
Post-Cariato and the return to power (1949–1963)
When the “Cariato” ended, the PLH returned to the electoral arena with an ascendant liberal faction. The PLH won at the 1954 Honduran general election, but a political deadlock resulted in a crisis culminating in a coup. The Liberal presidential candidate and winner of the 1954 elections, Ramón Villeda Morales, was finally made president in 1957, but his administration ended prematurely due to the 1963 Honduran coup d'état.[8]
Military dictatorship (1963–1982)
Military supremacy over politics was consolidated after the 1963 coup, and military officers occupied the presidency save for the brief civilian administration of Ramón Ernesto Cruz Uclés of the PNH, during 1971–1972. Despite the military dictatorship, the Liberal party or its leaders were not outright banned. The party, along with the National Party and the United States began putting pressure on the military to begin a transition back to civilian administration, which was finally realized in 1982.[9][10]
2005 elections
The PLH won the closely contested 2005 presidential race, but at the moment[update] 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 liberal, Zelaya shifted dramatically to the political left and socialism during his presidency, forging an alliance with the Hugo Chávez-linked ALBA,[11] angering conservatives and his own Liberal Party. He was deposed by a coup d'état in 2009 and replaced by Roberto Micheletti, also of the Liberal Party.
2009 elections
At the 2009 elections, which took place after the 2009 Honduran coup d'état that removed Manuel Zelaya from power, the Liberal Party suffered a heavy defeat by the National Party, with the Nationals' 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 Liberal candidate Elvin Santos. In the elections for the National Congress of Honduras the Liberal Party won a total of 45 seats, dropping from its previous 61. The elections were held under a tense political atmosphere without the accustomed OAS observers and under a decree restricting civil rights 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.[12][13]
Following Zelaya's split, the Liberal Party has seen a decline in its support, with Liberty and Refoundation becoming the National Party's main rival. At the 2013 election, liberal candidate Mauricio Villeda got 20.3% of votes, finishing third.
The party further declined in the 2017 election; its candidate Luis Zelaya only obtained 14.74% of the vote, and again finished third. However, the party maintained its 26 seats in the parliament. The Liberal Party denounced the result as fraudulent.[14]
The party's popularity continued declining into the 2021 election. Its nominee for president, Yani Rosenthal, a member of the historically powerful Rosenthal family in Honduras, won only 10% of the vote. This was the worst result for the Liberal Party in any election it has participated since its founding in 1891, a sign of growing discontent among the population with the two traditional parties of Honduras.
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