Honduras Elections 2017

Honduras Primary Elections 2017 take place this Sunday March 12

This blog is not about politics and I don’t plan to go into that topic. So why would I even consider writing about this theme then?  Because if you are visiting Honduras you will be aware of the excess of political propaganda and will want to know about what is going on.

Honduras holds elections every four years. The next general election period will take place on Sunday November 26th. During the electoral process, Honduras elects a presidential formula. This consists of a president and up to three presidential designates. These last are those who step in when the president is out of the country or represent him at events that he cannot attend. Honduras will also elect 128 congress persons. Each one of those has a substitute to sit in for him / her if necessary. Finally the process will elect a total of 298 city mayors.

Honduras General Elections 2017

If the Honduras Elections 2017 will take place until November, why is there so much political activity in March? The answer is pretty straight forward! Three of the larger political parties are having their primary elections. The winners of these elections will compete in the general elections to take place in November.

Although there are 9 political parties registered in Honduras, only four are real players in Honduras politics. These are the National Party, the Liberal Party, Libre and PAC. The two first ones have been in the Honduran political scene for over 100 years. The two latter ones are new, and are facing their second general elections.  Only the first three parties are holding primary elections this year.

It is still too early to forecast what the results will be in November. For now, we know that primary elections will be this coming Sunday, March 12, 2017. There is no doubt that the candidate for the National Party will be the current president, Juan Orlando Hernandez. Yet it is not clear who will be the presidential candidate for the Liberal Party of Honduras. I expect that Xiomara Castro de Zelaya will be the Candidate for Libre.

Things to Know During Honduras Electoral Process

If you are traveling throughout Honduras this weekend, there are a couple of things you should know. First of all, there is a strict “ley seca” that will be enforced for the elections. This means that no alcoholic beverages will be available from 6:00 a.m. on Saturday through 6:00 a.m. on Monday. This measure applies to all establishments, including hotels, restaurants and bars. Of course, if you have your own booze, you can drink it. So if you want to have some cocktails this coming Saturday and Sunday, it is a good idea to head for the supermarket and buy whatever you want to drink!

This Sunday you will find members of the different parties assisting and or coordinating bus transportation for voters. There will be lines at the polling stations throughout the country. The number of citizens voting in primary elections is not large. Historically, elections in Honduras have been peaceful. There is no reason to believe that the Honduras Elections 2017 will be different. Enjoy your weekend and experience the primary elections in Honduras this coming Sunday!