Latin American Election Statistics Home
Honduras: Elections and Events 1980-1999
1980
Bowman 1999: "The 1980s witnessed a most unusual hybrid regime in Honduras, the initiation and strengthening of electoral democracy along with shocking increases in military power and human rights abuses" (page 10).
Dunkerley 1996: "Civil war was absent in Honduras in the 1980s, the militarisation which occurred throughout the decade being more a consequence of the Reagan administration's covert war against Nicaragua than a response to the domestic insurgent challenge (which was negligible in both scale and impact)" (page 70).
Sullivan 1995: PINU "first attempted to gain legal recognition...in 1970, but the PNH blocked Pinu's attempts until the 1980 Constituent Assembly elections" (page 177).
April 20: Constituent assembly election
Anderson 1988: Gives percent of registered voters who voted, number and percent of vote for top three parties, and seats won by these parties (page 147).
Becerra 1983: Gives votes and seats won by PL, PN, and PINU, and gives abstention rate and percent of registered voters who voted (page 215).
Bueso 1987: "El proceso electoral 1980" (pages 316-319). Describes the election. "Resultados generales de las elecciones del 20 de abril de 1980" (page 319). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for each party, null votes, blank votes, valid votes, total votes, registered voters, and number of abstentions.
Chronicle of parliamentary elections 14 1980: 75% of the electorate took part: gives the number of seats won by PN, PL, and PINU (page 14).
Fernández 1983: "La diferencia entre el Partido Liberal y el Partido Nacional en los centros urbanos" (pages 73-74). Gives for cities in Honduras with populations over 50,000 the number of registered voters, the votes for PL and PN, total valid votes, percent of vote for PL and PN, and the differences in favor of PL. "El comportamiento de los partidos tradicionales a nivel de departamentos y municipios" (pages 75-76). Gives by department the percent of vote for PL and PN. "El comportamiento electoral del PINU" (pages 76-77). Gives percent of the vote won by PINU by department and for major cities. "El análisis del abstencionismo y del voto negativo" (page 78). Gives percent of abstention for departments and major cities. "El sistema de representación" (page 80-81). Gives the number of votes in each department needed to win a seat, varies from 4,135 in one department to 19,177 in another. Gives valid votes needed by each party to win a seat, the percent of the vote won, and the percent of the seats won. "Resultados de las elecciones del 20 de abril de 1980" (pages 104-106). Gives for country number of votes and percent of vote won by PL, PN, PINU, and independent candidates, null votes, blank votes, valid votes, total votes, registered voters, and abstentions. Gives by department registered voters, valid votes, votes for PL, PN, and PINU, and number of municipalities won by each party.
Leonard 1998: "Transition toward civilian government began with the April 1980 election of a constituent assembly. The centrist Liberal Party captured thirty-five seats and conservative National Party thirty-three" (page 105).
Morris 1981: "Honduran electoral data by department, 1980" (follows page 8). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for PL, PN, and PINU; total vote; and registered voters.
Morris 1984: "These elections, the first of any kind since 1971, were an important step in the transition from military rule to a resumption of civilian political participation in Honduras" (pages 51-52). Gives number who voted, percent these constituted of all registered voters, and percent of the vote for PL, PN, and PINU. "Honduran electoral data by department, 1980" (page 53). Gives by department the number and percent of the vote for PL, PN, and PINU, gives number of votes and percent of total country vote, and number of registered voters.
Observance of Honduran national elections 1982: "The Constituent Assembly elections in April 1980 came after 8 years of military rule and were distinguished by a record 81 percent turnout of eligible voters and little or no evidence of fraud. This clear mandate from the people in support of a return to civilian rule saw the election of a 71-Member Constituent Assembly that was entrusted to write a new constitution and to call for general elections. The center/left Liberal Party had won an upset victory over the more conservative National Party with 35 and 33 seats, respectively. The remaining three seats were won by the small centrist National Innovation and Unity Party" (page 1).
Pearson 1982: "While various leftist groups and some dissident members of the Liberal Party (PL) called for the voters to abstain from going to the polls, Hondurans turned out in record numbers to give the PL a plurality of the vote in an upset. The National Party (PN) was expected to win because of its majority control of the National Elections Tribunal (TNE) and the direct aid of various state agencies in furnishing vehicles and drivers to take voters to the polls. As a consequence of Honduras' slightly complicated system of proportional representation, the Liberals won 35 seats in the constituent assembly to 33 for the Nationalists and three for the newly-recognized Party of Innovation and Unity (PINU)" (page 440).
Posas 1980: "The Partido Liberal won a surprise victory in the elections of April 20, 1980...The victory was the result of a surprisingly large turnout for the elections, estimated to be 75 percent, and reflected a strong repudiation of the conservatives and the military hierarchy" (page 56).
Posas 1988: "Garantizadas por los militares, que en el pasado había sido uno de los factores fundamentales en la consumación de los fraudes electorales, las elecciones del 20 de abril de 1980 fueron limpias y honestas" (page 68). Gives number who voted; percents of votes and seats won by the PL, PN, and PINU; percent of null votes; percent of blank votes; and percent of registered voters who abstained (pages 68-69).
Santana 1981: "The constituent assembly elections of April 1980 indicated that the Liberal Party had a strong edge on the National Party, which was traditionally identified with the country's military" (page 30).
Schooley 1987: "The constituent elections of April 20, 1980, resulted in a surprise win for the PL, which gained 52 per cent of the votes and 35 of the 71 seats in the new assembly, while the PN gained 33 seats and the new Innovation and Unity Party (PINU, founded in 1978) gained three. The turnout was 75 per cent" (page 42).
Sieder 1998: Gives a variety of statistics from the 1980 election (page 21).
July
Observance of Honduran national elections 1982: "The interim government selected by the Assembly to rule the nation until the November 1981 election is jointly composed of officials named by the major political parties and representatives of the military. In recognition of the military's important role in guaranteeing the electoral process, the pledges of neutrality and respect for its commander, the Assembly named the former head of the military government, General Policarpo Paz García as the Provisional President" (page 1).
Schooley 1987: "(O)n July 25 the Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of Paz García continuing in office as provisional president, pending presidential and congressional elections in 1981, for which it drafted a new electoral law" (page 42).
1981
Haggerty and Millet 1995: "The Congress took more than a year to draft a new constitution and an electoral law for the 1981 presidential and congressional elections" (pages 45-46).
September
Santana 1981: "Although the military government of General Policarpo Paz García had officially acquiesced to the idea of elections by the end of the Carter Administration, there were increasing indications that he was getting cold feet as the date approached...By September 1981, the Nationals were pushing for another postponement of the elections (already moved back from their original date of August 23), while Paz was entertaining proposals for a new civilian-military government that would allow him to retain a central role. The opposition, linked to the Liberals, moved in for a quick checkmate: news of a land scam involving the Finance Minister...was leaked to the press with the strong suggestion that the scandal could be extended to the Presidential Palace if need be" (page 30).
October
Lapper 1985: "In early October 1981, a meeting was held in Tegucigalpa between the military high command and the leaders of the National and Liberal parties. The deal was struck: there would be no investigation into military corruption...; the military would retain a veto over Cabinet appointments; and there would be no civilian interference in military affairs, including national security, and any matter relating to Honduran borders" (page 81).
November 29: General election (Suazo Córdova / PL)
Acosta 1986: "As a result of the general election, the Liberal party took complete control of the government...(T)he so-called 'electoral solution' that created enormous expectations in the country between 1979 and 1981, by apparently opening new possibilities for change that would represent a significant displacement of the armed forces and an important recovery of legitimacy and consensus, vanished prematurely due to the kind of public management practiced by the new government" (page 49).
Anderson 1988: Gives number who voted, number of mayoralties to be elected, and percent of vote for the PL and PN (page 155).
Barbieri 1986: Gives congressional seats won by each party in the November 1981 election (page 14).
Becerra 1983: Gives votes and seats won by PL, PN, PINU, PDC, and independents (page 217).
Bueso 1987: "El proceso electoral de 1981" (pages 320-323). Describes the election. "Resultados de las elecciones del 29 de noviembre de 1981" (page 322). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for each party, null votes, blank votes, valid votes, total votes, registered voters, and number of abstentions. "Distribución de los diputados, elecciones del 29 de noviembre de 1981." Gives number of seats won by each party.
Chronicle of parliamentary elections 16 1982: Gives the reason for the election and characteristics of congress (page 71). "On a peaceful polling day, nearly 80% of an electorate of more than 1.5 million turned out to vote. The Liberal Party scored a clear victory, gaining 54% of the popular vote and thus capturing both the presidency and an absolute majority in Congress with 44 out of 82 seats."
Fernández 1983: "Resultados de las elecciones del 29 de noviembre de 1981" (pages 107-108). Gives for country number of votes and percent of vote won by PL, PN, PINU, PDCH, and independent candidates, null votes, blank votes, valid votes, total votes, registered voters, and abstentions. Gives by department registered voters, valid votes, votes for PL, PN, PINU, and PDCH, and number of municipalities won by each party.
Lapper 1985: "The Liberal Party, led by Suazo Córdova, went on to win the November elections by 100,000 votes, taking a 44-34 majority in the Assembly over the Nationalists. PINU took three seats while the Christian Democrats took one. A massive 80 per cent of the electorate turned out to vote" (page 82).
Morris 1984: "Honduran electoral data by department, 1981" (page 57). Gives for each department the number of votes and percent of vote for PL, PN, PINU, and PDC; the total vote; and mayoralties won by PL and PN.
Morris 1984a: "The Liberals won almost 53 percent of the popular vote, 14 out of 18 departments, and 61 percent of the local municipal councils" (page 203).
Observance of Honduran national elections 1982: Gives the candidates for each party (page 1). "In addition to the President and three Vice Presidents, the election included candidates for the National Congress and some 282 mayors. The electoral law called for party slates rather than individual candidates without options to split the ticket" (page 2). "Electoral results" (page 7). Gives percent of voter turnout, percent for each party, seats in congress, and number of votes for each party.
Pearson 1982: "On November 29, 1981, after nine years of military rule, an impressive number of Hondurans--1,214,735 or 82.5 percent of those registered to vote--went to the polls and elected Liberal Roberto Suazo Cordova as their president. Voters also elected deputies to the unicameral National Congress and 281 mayors for each of the nation's 'municipios'" (page 439). "The PCH, PCH-ML and the Honduran Socialist Party (PASO) joined together under the banner of the Honduran Patriotic Front to nominate three sets of 'independent' candidates for the November 1981 elections. The 3,997 votes cast for these 'independent' candidates showed these marxist-leninist groups were small in numbers" (page 441).
Peeler 1998: "In 1981, the United States successfully discouraged General Policarpo Paz García from perpetuating himself in office and induced the military to begin a transition to an elected civilian regime" (page 91).
Posas 1988: Gives number who voted; number and percent of votes for PL, PN, PINU, and PDCH; total valid votes; number of registered voters who abstained; number and percent of votes that were null; and number and percent of votes that were blank (page 70).
Princeton University Latin American pamphlet collection 1988: Includes mimeographed working papers, articles, pamphlets, and party literature relating to the national elections of 1981.
Rosenberg 1989: "Distribution of seats in the Honduran National Congress, 1982-1986" (page 47). Gives number of seats held by each party.
Santana 1981: "With the Liberals favored to win, the best that the two minority parties, the Christian Democrats (PCH) and PINU could hope for was the lack of a simple majority in the 85-seat Chamber of Deputies, which would allow them to put together a swing-vote coalition. PINU was a relatively new party based on middle-class professionals, while the Honduran Christian Democratic Party began as a peasant-student movement in 1963, incorporated as a political party in 1968, and participated in its first election in 1981" (page 33). "By the time it was over, the Liberals had won a stunning victory, polling more than 640,000 votes to the National's 490,000. This gave them not only the presidency, but also an expected 44-46 seats of the 85-seat Chamber of Deputies, better than a simple majority" (page 34). Also gives the number of votes for PINU, PDCH, and the Patriotic Front's independents.
Schooley 1987: Gives seats won by each party (page 42).
Sieder 1998: "Las elecciones de 1981" (pages 26-28). "En total, 82 miembros del Congreso y 284 alcaldes fueron electos. El PL ganó 169 municipalidades y el PN 113. El Congreso fue compuesto por 44 miembros del Partido Liberal, 34 del PN, tres del PINU y un democristiano" (page 27).
Statistical abstract of Latin America volume 23 1984: "Honduras presidential election results, 1981" (page 731). Gives by department the number of votes for the four main parties, the total valid votes, blank votes, null votes, and total votes.
1982
Becerra 1994: Describes the portions of the 1982 constitution relating to elections (volume 1 page 343).
Dunkerley 1996: "Formal power was handed back to civilian government in 1982...However the transition to civilian rule in Honduras was followed by an unprecedented increase in the power of the armed forces, a consequence of the new strategy towards the region adopted by the Reagan administration which made Honduras a key element in Washington's war against the FSLN and the FMLN" (pages 71-72).
Haggerty and Millet 1995: "Brigadier General Gustavo Álvarez Martínez, who assumed the position of commander of the armed forces in January 1982, emerged as a hardliner against the Sandinistas" (page 48). "The perception of a genuine leftist revolutionary threat to Honduran stability enhanced Brigadier General Álvarez's power and heightened his profile both in Honduras and the United States" (page 49). "Álvarez strongly supported United States policy in Central America. He reportedly assisted in the initial formation of the Nicaraguan Resistance [Contras]" (page 50).
Merrill 1995: "New constitution, country's sixteenth, [is] devised and ratified by Constituent Assembly in 1982" (page xvii).
Nickson 1995: "Various articles in the 1982 Constitution once again reaffirmed municipal autonomy" (page 192).
Schooley 1987: "At its first session on Jan. 27, 1982, the Assembly appointed...Gen. Álvarez Martínez, as head of the Armed Forces. This move confirmed the continued hold of the military over political life, in line with a pact made a month before the elections, in which the two front runners...had agreed with the senior command that the armed forces would retain their power of veto over cabinet appointments" (page 42).
Sullivan 1995: "The Honduran constitution, the sixteenth since independence from Spain, entered into force on January 20, 1982. Just a week before, Honduras had ended ten years of military rule with the inauguration of civilian president Roberto Suazo Córdova" (page 149). "Title II addresses...suffrage and political parties, and provides for an independent and autonomous National Elections Tribunal" (page 151). Title V covers the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. "Different from the 1965 constitution, the terms of legislators and the president are four years, instead of six years" (page 152). "The legislative branch consists of the unicameral National Congress elected for a four-year term of office at the same time as the president" (pages 159-160).
Villanueva 1994: "En 1982 se promulga una nueva Constitución y se sigue esa tendencia a la apertura sin dejar de reconocer, empero, el significativo peso de las fuerzas armadas en la formación del poder político" (page 133).
1983
Lapper 1985: "Álvarez signs a secret agreement in Washington to set up the CREM regional training centre at Puerto Castilla" (page 6).
Rosenberg 1984: "(O)ne of the key factors promoting the Suazo-Álvarez alliance during 1983-1984 was Suazo's desire to weaken and then destroy any potential rivals within the Liberal Party" (page 569). "Party factions and leaders in Honduras" (page 570).
1984
LaFeber 1993: "Washington's military aid jumped from $4 million in fiscal 1980 to $77.5 million in 1984...At least eleven airfields and base camps stretched out over 450 square miles. The flagship was the Palmerola Air Base...Some 12,000 Hondurans had been involuntarily removed from their land so the base could be built" (page 310).
March
Haggerty and Millet 1995: "The prospect of early, involuntary retirement, with its attendant loss of licit and illicit income, prompted a clique of senior officers to move against Álvarez on March 31, 1984, seizing him and dispatching him on a flight to Miami" (page 51).
Rosenberg 1984: "General Álvarez's ouster is the most significant event in the evolution of Honduran political life since 1982. He was the architect of Honduras's continuing critical role in U.S. defense policy and strategy toward revolutionary Nicaragua and insurgency in El Salvador...It was [his] long reach and influence which were permeating political, labor, and private-sector organizations throughout the country...This, his ouster provided a new 'abertura' to Honduran democracy" (page 561).
Rosenberg 1996: "During the early 1980s, efforts made by General Álvarez Martínez to move away from a collegial to a vertical command structure, centralizing power at the very top of the armed forces, led to his ouster by fellow officers in April 1984" (page 74).
May
Lapper 1985: "60,000 demonstrators in Tegucigalpa and 40,000 in San Pedro Sula protest against the US presence. The new military leadership begins efforts to re-negotiate the 1954 military treaty" (page 6).
End of year
Millett 1986: "At the end of 1984, a group of prominent Hondurans representing all four parties issued a manifest sharply criticizing any effort to prolong Suazo's term of office and calling for several reforms, including internal party elections to select candidates for the 1985 elections" (page B313).
1985
Haggerty and Millet 1995: Beginning in January 1985, "the Honduran military took more active steps to pressure both the Contras and, indirectly, the United States government" (page 52).
Posas 1988a: "La crisis institucional...se inició en el mes de marzo de 1985 y concluyó en el mes de mayo del mismo año, mediante la firma de una Acta de Compromiso...(E)stableció un nuevo sistema de selección presidencial. De acuerdo a este sistema, el Presidente de la República sería aquel ciudadano que en las elecciones presidenciales del 24 de noviembre de 1985 obtuviera el mayor número de votos en el interior del partido político triunfante" (page 324).
Rosenberg 1986: "While the 1981 elections followed from a gradual process of political opening in which the civilian leadership forced the military from power, the 1985 elections saw an alliance of military and labor leaders force the country's incumbent leadership out of office. The struggle to convince Suazo to leave office resulted in a complex electoral procedure and a campaign with mulitiple candidates for the dominant parties" (page 417).
May
Keesing's record of world events 32 April 1986: "The two major political parties, the PN and the PLH, and their various factions, had in May 1985 reached an agreement which allowed any faction of a political party to present its own candidate for the presidential elections" (page 34288).
September
Keesing's record of world events 32 April 1986: A reform of the electoral law was passed in September and provided that the successful candidate for the presidency would be determined on the basis of which party gained most votes for all its candidates combined; the most successful of that party's candidates would become president. The...TNE initially stated that it intended to rule only after the poll as to whether this new law would apply (the Constitution providing, by contrast, that the candidate gaining most votes would win). However, following meetings between the TNE president, the US ambassador,...and Brig.-Gen. López, the tribunal announced on Nov. 23 (the eve of the election) its decision to adhere to the new electoral law" (page 34288).
October
Keesing's record of world events 32 April 1986: "With Dr Roberto Suazo Córdova's four-year term of office due to expire in January 1986, a member of the right-wing...PN sought on Oct. 24 to introduce a bill in the Congress aimed at extending his term and converting the legislature into a constituent assembly, which would have had the effect of deferring the forthcoming November presidential elections for up to two years...The move to extend the President's term was abandoned after the C.-in-C. of the Armed Forces...telephoned the Congress to warn that anyone persisting with this proposal would be brought to trial for violation of the constitution" (page 34288).
November 24: General election (Azcona Hoyo / PL)
Anderson 1988: The parties work out an electoral process. "The candidate within the party who received the highest total would become the nominee; but in voting for candidates of a political party, the voters would be expressing their preference to have that party rule, and thus the party with the highest vote total would receive the presidency" (page 162). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for two leading candidates, but because of the agreement, the candidate who came in second wins the election.
Barbieri 1986: "Hondurans went to the polls on November 24, 1985, to elect a President, 132 members of its unicameral Congress and 284 mayors" (page 25). "Election results" (page 30). For the presidential election gives the number of votes, percent of party vote, and percent of national vote for each candidate in each party; gives by department the number of votes for each party; and for the congressional election gives the number of seats won by each party.
Bueso 1987: "El proceso electoral 1985" (pages 324-338). Describes the election. "Cuadro no. 4" (page 335). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for each candidate, blank votes, and null votes. "Distribución de diputados al congreso nacional por partido" (page 337).
Chronicle of parliamentary elections 20 1986: Gives characteristics of congress and the electoral system (page 85). "The legislative polling was held simultaneously with that for President of the Republic and the country's 284 mayors and municipal councils." "Results of the elections and distribution of seats in the National Congress" (page 86). Gives number of registered electors, voters, blank or void ballot papers, valid votes, and the number of seats won by each party.
Delgado Fiallos 1986: "(A)demás de presidente y designados se eligieron 128 diputados fijos más seis por cociente nacional y 283 corporaciones municipales" (page 95). Gives number of seats won by each faction within each party (page 97). "Nivel de participación electoral 1985 (por departamento)" (Anexo no. 9). Gives for each department registered voters, number who voted, number who abstained, percent who participated, and percent who abstained. "Resumen total del resultado electoral: elección 1985 (por departamento)" (Anexo no. 10). Gives for each department registered voters and number of votes for each party. "Resumen total del resultado electoral: elección 1985 (por principales municipios)" (Anexo no. 11). Gives for thirteen municipalities with over 25,000 inhabitants the number of registered voters and number of votes for each party. "Nivel de participación electoral elecciones 85 (por principales municipios)" (Anexo no. 12). Gives number of registered voters, number who voted, and percent this constitutes of registered voters.
Fauriol 1985: On November 24, 1985 "Voters will elect a new president for a single four-year term, three vice-presidents, 132 representatives to the national congress, and local officials in 284 municipalities. Nine candidates for president are in the running from four political parties" (page 1). "The winning outcome is to be the leading candidate (of either of the two slates) from the party that wins the most overall votes...A National Election Tribunal, consisting of representatives from each of the four political parties and the Supreme Court, will oversee the elections" (pages 10-11). Lists the candidates, their party affiliations, and a summary of key aspects of their platforms (pages 12-13).
Keesing's record of world events 32 April 1986: Gives detailed information on each candidate, the party faction backing them, and their political views. "On Nov. 24 the elections took place for the presidency (each candidate running on a ticket with three vice-presidential candidates); concurrently, legislative elections were held to elect 134 deputies for the National Congress (augmented from the existing 82-member legislature under the May accord), and local elections to elect the country's 284 mayors and municipal councils" (page 34288). Describes the results of the election.
Lapper 1985: "Presidential candidates for 24 November elections" (page 114). Gives all the candidates for each party.
Millett 1986: "Elections of 24 November 1985" (page B318). Gives candidates by party with the number of votes they won. "If the voting for president was confusing, the congressional results were even more difficult to explain. Of the deputies, 101 were directly elected, based on the results in individual departments. But 20 others were chosen on a complicated formula for dividing additional departmental seats, and 6 were chosen to give representation to minority factions based on national vote totals. This formula produced a deeply divided Congress with no party or faction having a majority" (page B318). Gives number of seats won by each party.
Molina Chocano 1986: "Las recién pasadas elecciones presidenciales de Honduras...arrojaron un curioso resultado que muchos analistas califican de una 'situación sin ganador,' dado el balance de fuerzas derivado del evento y aludiendo a las expectativas frustradas de los principales contendientes que esperaban una mayoría aplastante a su favor. Contrariamente se produjeron precarias ventajas que obligan por primera vez en el país a un complicado sistema de alianzas en un régime político hasta ahora simplemente bipartidista" (page 2). "(S)e produce la paradoja de que no alcanza la presidencia de la República el candidato más votado en términos individuales que supera en más de 200.000 votos a su más cercano seguidor." "Honduras: resultados finales de las elecciones celebradas el 24 de noviembre de 1985" (page 5).
Molina Chocano 1990: "Honduras: resultados finales de las elecciones celebradas el 24 de noviembre de 1985" (page 307) (also in Molina Chocano 1992 page 103). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for candidates in PL, PN, and CD; congressional seats won by each party; and total valid votes, null votes, blank votes, and total votes cast.
Oseguera de Ochoa 1987: "Proceso electoral de 1985" (pages 26-41). Describes the election and gives the number of votes for each candidate.
Paz Aguilar 1986: "Honduras: resultados finales de las elecciones celebradas el 24 de noviembre de 1985" (volume 1 page 275).
Posas 1988: Gives number of total presidential votes (and votes for leading candidates of each party) and seats won by four major parties (page 75).
Posas 1988a: Gives process by which the election is decided and the results (pages 324-325).
Rosenberg 1986: "Because of internal party competition and Suazo's deliberate efforts to produce a leadership stalemate, the electoral procedure allowed the November election to serve simultaneously as a primary and a final election. The party with the highest total of votes would win the presidential elections, even if the leading vote-getters from each party had fewer votes than a rival candidate from the other dominant party" (pages 417-418).
Rosenberg 1989: "Voting results from the 1985 presidential elections in Honduras" (page 57) (also in Rosenberg 1987 page B322). Gives party, candidate, and number of votes cast for each, null votes, blank votes, and total votes.
Segesvary 1986: Describes and analyzes the November 24, 1985 election. "A major surprise in the election was the impressive showing of National Party candidate Rafael Leonardo Callejas, who garnered over 200,000 more individual votes than Azcona but could not become president because of the second place finish of his party in the total vote count" (page 2). "Electoral results" (page 7). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for each party and each candidate. "The final results for the composition of the new congress gave Callejas's faction 63 deputies, Azcona 46, Mejia 18, Bu Giron 3, PINU 2, and the PDCH 2" (page 8).
Sieder 1998: "Las elecciones de 1985" (pages 31-33). Gives a variety of statistics, including the number of municipalities won by each party.
Statistical abstract of Latin America volume 25 1987: "Honduras presidential winning percentages, by political party and candidate" (page 193). "Honduras presidential election results, by department and political party candidates (1985)." "Honduras presidential election results, by department and political party (1985)" (page 194).
Sullivan 1995:"In 1985 President brazenly used the TNE to attempt to support unrepresentative factions of the two major parties. Military leader General Walter López Reyes impeded Suazo Córdova's attempt by modifying the electoral system so that party primaries and the general elections were held at the same time. The winner would be the leading candidate of the party receiving the most votes. As a result, PLH candidate José Azcona Hoyo was elected president by receiving just 25 percent of the vote, compared with the PNH candidate, Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero, who received 45 percent" (page 172).
Schooley 1987: Gives results of election, including intricacies of election system adopted for this election (page 44).
1986
Brockett 1998: There is a "resurgence of political violence beginning in 1986...Significantly contributing to the growing insecurity in the country was the large Contra presence. Around 56,000 fighters and their dependents occupied an area of 279 square miles in Honduras with deleterious consequences" (pages 196-197).
1989
Country profile. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras 1990-1991: The Cinchoneros execute General Álvarez Martínez in 1989, a year after he returns from exile (page 46).
November: General election (Callejas / PN)
Arancibia Córdova 1990: "Callejas obtuvo alrededor de 52% de los votos, los liberales 43% y el resto se reparte entre el PINU-SD con 1.8% y la Democracia Cristiana con 1.4 por ciento...El triunfo de Callejas se explica por el fracaso de los dos gobiernos liberales para manejar la crisis económica del país y atenuar las condiciones de desempleo y pobreza de la mayoría de la población. La población está buscando en Callejas una alternativa. Esta alternativa es la persona, ya que no hay programa de gobierno, sino declaraciones generales y vagas. Esto no es extraño ya que la política del país es caudillista, clientelista y carente de contenido programático. Las campañas políticas se centran en las personas y no en los programas" (page 116).
Bulmer-Thomas 1991: "(T)he elections in November 1989 were exemplary, with the two leading candidates (from the Liberal and National Parties) offering the electorate a genuine choice based above all on rival economic programmes" (page 225).
Canache 1994: In 1989, "a peaceful transfer of power between political opponents, the Liberal and National parties, occurred for the first time since 1933" (page 514). "In the 1989 election, the voter cast a single vote for a party's full slate of presidential, congressional, and local candidates. Split-ticket voting was impossible under Honduran electoral law until 1992...In [1989], the National Party won an absolute majority for the first time in the history of competitive politics between the National and Liberal parties. Further, the National Party did well in urban and industrialized areas, traditional centers of liberalism. The HCDP and the PINU captured only 3.2 percent of the vote nationally, but they fared better in urban areas" (pages 515-516).
Central America report volume 16 number 47 December 1, 1989: "Held on a Sunday, the 'fiesta civica' proceeded smoothly despite the pre-election rumours of sabotage and violence...Nearly 70% of the electorate (1,380,309 voters) registered at some 7,900 polling locations" (page 372).
Gives preliminary results of the election (page 373).
Chronicle of parliamentary elections 24 1990: Gives characteristics of congress and the electoral system (page 87). "The 1989 congressional elections were held simultaneously with polling for President and Vice-Presidents of the Republic, and for 289 municipal councillors." "Results of the elections and distribution of seats in the National Congress" (page 88). Gives number of registered voters and number who voted, and the percent of votes and number of seats won by each party.
Country profile. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras 1990-1991: "The victory of the candidate of the Partido Nacional, Rafael Leonardo Callejas, in the November 1989 presidential elections marks an important turning point in Honduran politics. He takes over from the Liberal administrations which held power throughout the 1980s following the restoration of formal electoral democracy in 1981. Sr Callejas won a predictable and convincing victory following eight years of political and economic indecision...[His] victory...broke the long tradition that the Liberals win open elections in Honduras, while the Nationalists administer under military dictators...The Nationalists achieved domination of the Congress--with 71 of the 128 seats, against 55 for the Liberals--and of the country's municipal governments" (page 45).
Country report. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras 1990, 1: "The clear victory by the Partido Nacional (PN) represents the first transition of power to an opposition party since 1932" (page 21).
Dunkerley 1994: "Honduras, general, November 1989" (page 149). Gives abstention rate, candidate, party, number and percent of votes received, and seats won (page 149).
Fernández 1989: "Resultados oficiales para presidente" (pages 42-43). Gives the number of votes and percent of vote for each party, number and percent of total votes, of null and blank votes, the total valid votes, and the total registered voters.
Leonard 1998: "In 1989 the National Party candidate, Rafael Leonardo Callejas, won the presidential contest, and his party gained control of the national legislature, municipalities, and departmental administrations" (page 105).
Loser 1989: "On November 26, 1989, Honduras is scheduled to hold its fourth national election since the country's return to civilian, democratic rule in late 1981...Voters will elect a new president for a single, four-year term, three vice presidents, 132 representatives to the National Congress, local officials in 284 municipalities and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament" (page 1). Describes the four major parties and their candidates (pages 6-10). "While numerous electoral reforms have been temporarily undertaken to facilitate the voting process, two principal changes in the electoral system have been implemented. First, during the 1985 elections, each party fielded a multiplicity of candidates, which led the election to be a virtual combination of primaries and elections together; in order to simplify the process in 1989, each party has held primaries and will field only a single candidate. And second, voters will only directly elect 129 representatives to Congress; the remaining three congressional seats will be filled by the losing presidential candidates" (page 10). "The electoral process is administered and overseen at the national level by the National Electoral Tribunal (TNE), a technically autonomous entity--which ultimately has the final authority over the process...The president of the TNE is selected by the party which received the most presidential votes in the previous election" (page 11).
Loser 1990: Describes and analyzes the election. "The National Party has been handed a clear mandate to rule: along with Callejas' capture of the presidency with 52% of the vote, the party also controls 71 out of 128 seats in the legislature, 212 municipalities out of a total of 289, and a victory in 16 out of 18 departments" (page 6). "1989 presidential election results" (page 11). Gives the number of votes and percent of vote won by top four parties.
Molina Chocano 1990: Discusses the 1989 election and gives various statistics (page 311).
Paz Aguilar 1990: "El 26 de noviembre de 1989, los hondureños concurrieron a las urnas para elegir un presidente, tres 'designados a la presidencia' (vicepresidentes), 128 diputados y 289 alcaldes" (page 22). "Honduras: elecciones generales del 26 de noviembre de 1989" (page 25). Gives number of registered voters; number of abstentions and percent this constitutes of registered voters; total votes cast and percent this constitutes of registered voters; number of blank and null votes and percent this constitutes of registered voters; total valid votes and percent this constitutes of registered voters; number of votes for each party and percent this constitutes of total valid votes; and number of "votos en 'sobres cerrados' (no escrutados)" (page 25).
Paz Aguilar 1992: Gives percent of presidential votes for PN and PL (page 172). Gives congressional seats, municipalities, and departments won by PN.
Ruhl 1989: Gives number of offices up for election (page B276). "However, because no split-ticket voting was permitted, the 2.3 million registered voters actually were offered only a simple choice among four competing, all-inclusive party lists. The great similarities between the traditional party presidential candidates at the top of the only two slates having any chance to win made even that limited choice a good deal less meaningful." "Honduran election results, 1989" (page B277). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for four leading parties, null and blank votes, and total votes.
Sieder 1998: Gives details of the 1989 election and a variety of statistics (pages 33-35).
Sullivan 1995: Gives the number of seats won by five parties (page 164). "(F)ollowing the 1989 national elections, women held 9.4 percent of congressional seats and 6.2 percent of mayorships nationwide, including the mayorship of Tegucigalpa" (page 190).
Schulz 1994: "In November 1989, Rafael Leonardo Callejas and the National Party were swept into office in the party's most impressive electoral triumph of this century. The final results had Callejas winning the presidency over his Liberal opponent, Carlos Flores Facussé, with 50.9 to the latter's 43.1 percent of the vote. The Nationalists captured seventy-one seats in Congress to the Liberals' fifty-five. The PINU won 1.8 percent of the vote and two congressional seats. The Christian Democrats took 1.4 percent but were shut out of Congress" (page 268).
1990
Country profile. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras 1990-1991: "The surprise defeat of the Sandinistas in the February 1990 elections in Nicaragua opened the way for the rapid return of the 12,000 strong contra army to Nicaragua. Although many thousands of unarmed Nicaraguan refugees remain on the southern border of Honduras, the war (in so far as it affects Honduras) is basically over. The mass return during 1989-1990 to El Salvador of refugees from camps in western Honduras also served to reduce border tensions" (page 45).
Merrill 1995: "The massive aid and presence of United States troops...evoked strong criticism from Honduran nationalists, as well as from many other segments of society, forcing the government to distance itself from the United States in the early 1990s" (page xxviii).
Molina Chocano 1990: "En 1990 ocurrió...la transmisión pacífica del mando del partido de gobierno al triunfante Partido Nacional de oposición, acontecimiento que no se repetía desde 1933" (page 305).
Nickson 1995: "(I)n October 1990 a new law, Ley de Municipalidades No. 13,490, finally replaced the antiquated municipal code of 1927" (page 192).
Weaver 1994: "The first year of [Callejas] presidency saw the largest land invasion in Honduran history, some guerrilla activity, and two major strikes" (page 245).
1991
Weaver 1994: "There were more land invasions and strikes in 1991, and the Honduran record in human rights deteriorated as the military responded" (page 245).
1992
Country report. Nicaragua, Honduras 1993, 1: "The limits to electoral reform prior to the 1993 contest became clearer towards the end of 1992. Congress agreed to hold separate elections for municipal authorities, but deputies will continue to be elected on the basis of the outcome in the presidential election. The move was advocated by the Comisión Presidencial para la Modernización del Estado, which wants to see more administrative decentralisation. It is working towards the restoration of municipal autonomy, ended in the days of the Carías Andino dictatorship between the world wars. There will be no reduction in the number of deputies in Congress. The Liberals and minority parties opposed a PN proposal to cut the number from 128 to 75, and since the measure is a constitutional reform requiring a two-thirds majority, it will not, therefore, go through. There was, however, sufficient support in Congress for a change in the procedure for publishing the electoral register" (page 18).
Sullivan 1995: "One significant measure approved in 1992 was reform of the nation's electoral law for the 1993 national elections. For the first time, the law would allow voters to cast their ballots separately for mayoral candidates. In previous elections, the practice of split-party voting was not allowed, and the mayors were elected based on the percentage of the vote received by the presidential candidates. The reform of the electoral law is significant in that it makes elected mayors directly accountable to the electorate and strengthens the democratic process at the local level. The reform could also strengthen the chances for the nation's two smaller parties to gain representation in the municipalities" (pages 169-170).
1993
February
Sieder 1998: "La inscripción del nuevo Partido de Unidad Democrática (PUD) fue aprobada por el TNE en febrero de 1993" (page 39).
April
Sieder 1998: "En abril de 1993, los representantes del PL, PINU y PDCH ante el TNE propusieron un sistema de boletas electorales separadas para permitir a los votantes elegir a candidatos presidenciales y a alcaldes de diferentes partidos. A pesar de la oposición del PN, listas separadas fueron introducidas en las elecciones de 1993...No fue sino hasta las elecciones de 1993, en el último día de la sesión legislativa, que enmiendas a la ley electoral fueron pasadas para que en futuras votaciones se pudiera elegir a los candidatos presidenciales, a los representantes del Congreso y a los alcaldes en boletas electorales separadas" (page 38).
November: General election (Reina / PL)
Bowman 1999: "Momentum against the military picked up with the presidential election of the Liberal Party's Carlos Roberto Reina...[He] campaigned on a platform of clean government and the reduction of military budgets and prerogatives" (page 11).
Central America report volume 20 number 46 December 3, 1993: "In what appears to be an unequivocal rejection of the National Party, opposition Liberal Party Carlos Roberto Reina is elected president of Honduras. Changing the political panorama of the country, the Liberals win an overwhelming majority in Congress and triumph in 60% of the municipal elections" (page 361). Gives details of the election and preliminary results. "These elections marked the first time that voters could choose a presidential candidate and a mayoral candidate from different parties. Under the old system, the mayoral candidate of the winning presidential party would automatically win the seat" (page 362).
Cerdas Cruz 1996: "Honduras: results of 1993 presidential elections" (page 26). Gives number of votes and percent of total vote for each party. "Honduras: results of 1993 congressional elections" (page 26). Gives number of votes and percent of total vote for each party. "The acutely bipartisan character of the system, its rigidity and the concurrence of voting patterns should not obscure the grave problems of credibility and legitimacy facing parties and state institutions in Honduras. The...problem...has its origins in the unstable and subordinate relation of civil to military power, the insufficient integration of national territory and population, and the high degree of external dependence which, despite rhetoric to the contrary, continues to characterise the country's political system" (page 27).
Chronicle of parliamentary elections 28 1994: Gives the characteristics of congress and the electoral system (page 91). "The 1994 congressional elections were held simultaneously with polling for President of the Republic, departmental governors, municipal councillors and 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament." "Results of the elections and distribution of seats in the National Congress" (page 92). Gives number of registered electors, voters, blank or void ballot papers, valid votes, and the number of votes, percent of vote, and seats won by each party. "Distribution of deputies according to sex." 118 elected deputies are men and 10 are women.
Country report. Nicaragua, Honduras 1994, 1: "As expected, the candidate of the Partido Liberal (PL), Carlos Roberto Reina, won the presidential elections on November 28. What was not generally expected was the size of the margin. He took 51% of the poll, and was ten points clear of Oswaldo Ramos Soto of the ruling Partido Nacional (PN). The elections reconfirmed the two main parties' domination of Honduran politics...(T)he Partido de Innovación Nacional y Unidad (PINU) got just 2.4% of the vote and the Partido Demócrata Cristiano (PDC) came in last with 1.2%--barely enough to maintain its registration as a political party" (page 22). "Election results, 1993" (page 23). For the four top parties gives the number of votes and percent of vote, the number of seats won in congress, number of seats won in Parlacen, the percent of mayoral votes, and the number of mayors elected. Also gives the spoiled and blank votes and the total votes cast. "Turn-out for the elections, although high in comparison with most Latin American countries, was low by Honduran standards at 62%, compared with almost 70% in the 1989 election" (page 24). "Proposed changes in the electoral system include separate ballots for deputies to the Congress and to the Central American Parliament. At present these are determined on the basis of the votes cast for the presidential candidates. On November 30 there was a separate vote for mayors, but this had to be cast on the same ballot paper as the presidential vote, which caused confusion...The PL took control of 270 of Honduras' 293 authorities, including both major cities of San Pedro Sula and...for the first time in 12 years--Tegucigalpa" (page 25).
Crahan 1993: "Carlos Roberto Reina logró el 53% de los votos y Osvaldo Ramos Soto el 43%. El Partido Liberal obtuvo 71 diputaciones en el Congreso Nacional y el Nacional, 55" (page 28). "Elección presidencia de la república, designados a la presidencia de la república y diputados, 28 de noviembre de 1993" (page 30). Gives number of votes won by four parties, null votes, blank votes, and total votes. "Elección miembros de corporaciones municipales, 28 de noviembre de 1993" (page 30). Gives number of votes for four parties, null votes, blank votes, and total votes.
Keesing's record of world events volume 39 November 1993: Gives the percent of the vote for each party (page 39731). "The PLH was expected to achieve a similar margin of victory in the elections held simultaneously to the 148-member unicameral Congress and to 192 municipal councils, and of 20 deputies to the Central American Parliament. An estimated 35 per cent of the 2,8,000 people eligible to vote abstained."
Leonard 1998: "The economic crisis was largely responsible for the election of Liberal Party candidate Roberto Reina over the National Party candidate Oswaldo Ramos Soto in the November 1993 elections. The party platforms did not differ much, but the electorate, wearied of the economic reforms, accepted Reina's promises to stop the hemorrhaging" (page 112).
Merrill 1995: "The 62 percent turnout for the elections was low by Honduran standards...and some political observers attributed the low turnout to a lack of enthusiasm among the voters for either candidate. Analysts also indicated that although the 51 percent victory for Reina appeared to be a clear mandate, many of the voters cast ballots against the unpopular Ramos Soto rather than for Reina and his policies" (page xxviii).
Posas 1994: "With more than 90% of the votes counted, Reina had 51.7%, while the National Party, headed by the conservative Oswaldo Ramos Soto, got 41.5%...PINU took 2.8%, while...PDCH got barely 1%...The Liberal Party will rule during the next four years with a comfortable majority in the National Congress. It will have 71 representatives, while the National Party will have 55 and PINU 2...The Liberal Party will also have 13 of the 20 Honduran representatives to the Central American Parliament, and will control over 159 of the country's 191 municipalities. It won overwhelmingly in 13 of the country's 18 departments, while the National Party won the other 5, of which 4...are the least developed in the country and are traditional National Party bastions" (page 15).
Posas 1994a: "Este artículo esta dedicado a describir y analizar las elecciones generales del 28 de noviembre de 1993 en Honduras. Lo que estaba en juego en estas elecciones generales era la selección de un President de la República, de tres Designados a la Presidencia del país, que son análogos a vicepresidentes, 128 diputados al Congreso Nacional de la República (Asamblea Legislativa), 291 Alcaldes Municipales, y 22 diputados al Parlamento Centroamericano (PARLACEN)" (page 69). Gives a variety of statistics from the election.
Rosenberg 1996: "Nearly 35 percent of voters abstained from casting a ballot in the 1993 presidential elections compared with just 6 percent in the 1985 elections" (page 65). Gives a variety of reasons that may explain this (pages 65-66). "With the election of Liberal Party candidate Carlos Roberto Reina in November 1993, civilians have taken a number of steps to limit military influence" (page 71).
Sieder 1998: "En 1993 los hondureños mostraron su descontento con las políticas económicas del gobierno de Callejas al poner nuevamente a los liberales en el poder" (page 39). Gives number of votes and percent of total vote for each party, null votes, and blank votes; abstention rate; number of seats for each party; and number of municipalities won by PL and PN (pages 39-40).
Sullivan 1995: "Efforts to change the unitary ballot for the presidential and legislative candidates for the November 1993 elections were unsuccessful, largely because the two dominant parties overcame pressure by the two smaller parties for separate ballots" (page 164).
Taylor 1996: "Until the 1993 elections, municipal government elections were also fused with the presidential and congressional election" (page 336).
December
Country report. Nicaragua, Honduras 1994, 1: "In December, a new left-wing political party, called Unificación Democrática (UD), applied for registration at the TNE...UD is the fusion of four small groups (including the part of the PCH which renounced armed struggle)" (page 26).
Taylor 1996: "In December 1993 the Congress passed another reform to the electoral code to separate the ballots for the president and for deputy slates beginning in the 1997 elections. However, many of the political leaders interviewed expect this change will have little impact, at least initially, on election outcomes because party loyalty runs strong in Honduras, and voters, particularly illiterate ones, are accustomed to voting for a party, or a presidential candidate, more than for deputies" (page 336).
1994
Salomón 1996: "La 'eliminación del servicio militar' se constituye en una demanda social como producto de la brutalidad con que se reclutaba al los jóvenes para satisfacer las necesidades de unas Fuerzas Armadas sobredimensionadas por la crisis centroamericana. El rechazo social adquirió tales dimensiones que los candidatos presidenciales, por primera vez en la historia política del país, lo utilizaron como una constante en la campaña electoral que culminó con las elecciones del mes de noviembre de 1994 [should be 1993]. Su abolición y sustitución por un servicio voluntario fue aprobado por el Congreso Nacional al finalizar el mes de mayo de 1994--gracias a la presión de la sociedad civil que exigió el cumplimiento de esa promesa electoral" (page 11).
1996
Leonard 1998: "In January 1996 when the military chose General Mario Hung Pacheco as its new commander in chief of the armed forces, Reina announced that he would be the last. Beginning in 1999 the defense minister will be a civilian elected official" (page 113).
1997
October
Central America report volume 24 number 39 October 9, 1997: "As the November 30 general elections approach, fraud is alleged in the voter registration process, after an incongruous addition to the electoral register of over 100,000 in one month, and delays in issuing ID papers" (page 1).
November 30: General election
Bowman 1999: "The most dogged supporter of the military has been the National Party. The National Party selected Nora de Melgar, the widow of former military strongman Juan Melgar, as its 1998 presidential candidate. The party was subsequently trounced by the Liberal's Carlos Flores Facussé, whose anti-military credentials were secured when, as president of the National Assembly, he procured legislative approval for Reina's military reforms. This marked the fourth electoral defeat in five elections for the National Party" (page 11).
Caribbean & Central America report December 2, 1997: "There were separate ballots for all three elections for the first time in Honduras, enabling people to spit their votes, if they so wished. Melgar, 56, widow of a former military president,...had been mayor of Tegucigalpa from 1990-1994, and the National Party thought that, plus the novelty of fielding a female candidate for the first time in Honduras, would be sufficient to give them victory. But Melgar failed to make much of an impact" (page 1).
Central America report volume 24 number 39 October 9, 1997: "The conservative opposition National Party (PN) candidate is Nora Gúnera de Melgar, the first woman to stand for the top post in Honduras. De Melgar is the widow of Lieutenant Juan Alberto Melgar Castro, military ruler during the period 1975-1978. She was mayor of Tegucigalpa from 1990 to 1993" (page 2).
Central America report volume 24 number 47 December 4, 1997: Gives preliminary results of election (pages 1-2). "De Melgar, the first woman to stand for president...waited 24 hours before conceding defeat. The 56-year-old primary school teacher had threatened to withdraw in protest against the government decision to allow citizens whose documentation had not arrived by November 30 to vote with the former voting ID. But she changed her mind less than 24 hours before polling" (page 1). "The PL has control of 12 of the country's 18 departments, but lost the mayor of Tegucigalpa" (page 2). "Although the PL and the PN clearly dominate the political scene, smaller parties did surprisingly well, mainly taking votes from the PN. The social democratic Innovation and Unity Party (PINU) will have at least four deputies in the new congress. The left-wing Democratic Union (UD) has won one place in the assembly, participating in elections for the first time since forming in 1993...The UD looks the likely winner of the municipality in the central city of La Paz, which until these elections was the stronghold of Liberal ex-president Roberto Suazo Córdoba...The Christian Democrat (DC) leader...also won a seat...[There were] separate voting papers for presidential, congressional and municipal posts."
Central America report volume 25 number 4 January 29 1998: "The Liberal triumph in the November 30 elections was across the board, winning, aside from the presidency, 69 of 110 seats in Congress and more than 50% of the mayoral elections, while losing Tegucigalpa" (page 7).
Country profile. Nicaragua, Honduras 1996-1997: "Five candidates competing for the [PN] nomination for the 1997 presidential election have been disqualified, in a move which has been widely seen as anti-democratic. The winner of the PN nomination to run for president in 1997, Nora Gúnera de Melgar, has been dogged by allegations of corruption from her time as mayor of Tegucigalpa, and represents a continuation of PN traditionalism" (page 73).
Country report. Nicaragua, Honduras 1997, 4: "(V)oters will elect three vice-presidents, 128 legislators, 20 members of the Central American Parliament and 296 mayors. Abstention is likely to be high, reflecting voter frustration over politicians failing to carry out their programmes or represent the electorate's views" (page 35). "The programme to introduce photographic identity cards in time for the elections has failed, leaving over 330,000 eligible voters without cards."
Country report. Nicaragua, Honduras 1998, 1: "Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé, of the ruling Partido Liberal (PL), defeated Alba Nora Gúnera de Melgar, of the Partido Nacional (PN), in the November 1997 presidential election. His 10% margin of victory gives Mr Flores a clear mandate to govern. The minority left-wing parties collected 4.3% of the total votes...For the first time Hondurans voted directly for the president, as well as for national and local representatives. In the 128-seat National Assembly, the ruling PL won 67 seats--an absolute majority permitting the executive to push its legislation through parliament. The main opposition party, the PN, gained 55 seats" (page 34). "Honduras: presidential election results, Nov 1997" (page 35). Gives number of votes and percent of vote for top five parties, number and percent of ballots that were nullified, and total ballots cast.
D'Ans 1998: "Les élections de novembre 1997" (pages 34-36). Text contains a variety of statistics from the election, including number of votes and percent of vote for PL, PN, PINU, PDC, and PUD presidential candidates; total votes; and null votes.
Keesing's record of world events volume 43 November 1997: Gives provisional results, including the percent of the votes won by each presidential candidate and the number of seats won by each party (page 41904).
Keesing's record of world events volume 43 December 1997: Gives the official results of the presidential and congressional elections (page 41953).
Rodríguez 1997: Provides extensive biographical information on five presidential candidates.
Ruhl 1997: "The upcoming contest scheduled for November 1997 will be the fifth consecutive free presidential election to be held in Honduras. Never before has this nation experienced such an extended period of peaceful electoral politics and regular executive succession. The increasing willingness of Honduran civilian politicians to abide by electoral results and the declining political interference of the military should indicate significant progress toward democratic consolidation in what was once a chronically unstable country....Unfortunately, ordinary Hondurans are beginning to lose faith in electoral democracy just as their political leaders are learning to function under its rules" (page 86).
1998
October: Hurricane Mitch devastates Honduras
1999
Bowman 1999: "(T)he association of the [National] party with the military has become a major electoral liability. This liability created incentives for party leaders to pressure a divided caucus to support President Flores's recent historic constitutional reforms, which were approved in the National Assembly by a vote of 128-0 on 26 January 1999. The reforms are designed to end 42 years of military autonomy. The president is now commander in chief of the armed forces. Civilians have oversight over armed forces budgets...Following the Costa Rican example, all security forces are placed under the authority of the National Electoral Tribunal during the last month of national electoral campaigns" (pages 11-12). "(T)he 27 January 1999 ceremonial passing of the staff of command from Armed Forces Chief Mario Hung Pacheco to President Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé highlights a dramatic decline in military autonomy in Honduras" (page 9).
NotiCen volume 4 number 6 February 11, 1999: "Culminating a long demilitarization process, the National Assembly gave final ratification to a measure ending the autonomy of the Honduran Armed Forces. With a new civilian defense minister in place, the era of the military's constitutional intrusion into Honduran political life appears to have ended...Also forming part of the military's transformation is an Assembly decision to authorize the Armed Forces to work in nonmilitary tasks such as literacy campaigns, environmental and health programs, and in narcotics control" (page 4).
 © Copyright 2000, UCSD, All Rights Reserved. All material contained in Latin American Election Statistics: A Guide to Sources is protected by copyright, and duplication or sale of all or part of any of it is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for your personal research use or educational purposes in electronic or print form. Permission for any other use must be obtained from Karen Lindvall-Larson. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, whether for sale or otherwise, to any third party. Last revised: September 28, 2004 |
