Honduras Congress debates electoral reforms for 2029

electoral reforms Honduras legislative agenda presidential runoff civil society

The National Congress of Honduras is prioritizing electoral reforms aimed at updating the country’s voting rules before the 2029 general elections. Civil society organizations, including the National Anticorruption Council (CNA) and the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), have formally submitted a package of 87 proposals to the legislature. This initiative was developed through eleven technical sessions involving academia, the private sector, and international entities like UNDP and UN Women.

Key proposals under discussion include the implementation of a presidential second round (runoff), the democratization of polling station integration through citizen participation, and the potential for mid-term elections where deputies serve two-year initial terms. Other considerations involve establishing sanctions for electoral officials who fail to meet deadlines and strengthening financial transparency and oversight mechanisms.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano noted that this is the third major electoral reform proposal received by the legislature, following previous submissions from himself and former members of the National Electoral Council. Achieving constitutional changes will require a qualified majority of 86 votes, necessitating significant consensus among the various political factions.

Entities

Alia Kafati · Antonio Rivera Callejas · Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa · Congreso Nacional de Honduras · Consejo Nacional Anticorrupción · Lissi Cano · Mesa de Propuestas de Reformas Electorales · National Congress of Honduras · Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo · Tomás Zambrano

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Liberal Deputy Alia Kafati argued that the lack of progress on the second-round runoff is due to a lack of political will rather than a lack of consensus.
[● 2 SOURCES] The proposal development involved eleven technical and consultative sessions held between May and September. hondumedios.hn
[● 2 SOURCES] Civil society organizations delivered electoral reform proposals to the Honduran National Congress. hondumedios.hn
[○ 1 SOURCE] Approving a second-round runoff requires a constitutional reform and a qualified majority of 86 votes in Congress.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Nationalist Deputy Antonio Rivera Callejas stated there is currently no atmosphere in Congress to approve a second-round runoff reform.