Honduras

A sovereign state governed by the rule of law, constituted as a free, democratic, and independent republic to ensure its inhabitants the enjoyment of justice, liberty, culture, and economic and social well-being (Article 1 of the Constitution of Honduras).

The national territory is divided into 18 departments. Their creation and boundaries shall be decreed by the National Congress. The departments are divided into 298 autonomous municipalities administered by corporations elected by the people, in accordance with the law. The Central District is formed by a single municipality comprising the former municipalities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela.

Legislative power is exercised by the National Congress of Honduras, which is unicameral. It is composed of a fixed number of 128 deputies and their respective alternates, who are elected though direct suffrage.

The Municipal Corporation is the deliverative body of the Municipality, elected by the people and the highest authority within municipal boundaries. The Municipal Corporation shall consist of a mayor a deputy mayor, and a number of councilors proportional to the size of the population, the parameters of which are defined in Article 26 of the Municipalities Act.

The presidential term lasts four years. The members of the National Congress and the Municipal Corporations (including the mayor) are also elected for a period of four years.

The simple majority principle applies to single-member elections and a proportional representation system applies to multi-member or majority elections, in cases determined by law, to declare candidates elected by popular vote to their positions. In the case of deputies to the National Congress, an electoral quotient and best remainder method is used.

Closed lists.

The president is elected on the basis of a single national constituency. Members of Congress are elected in the 18 departments and, in the case of municipal corporations, each constituency corresponds to the municipalities.

Yes, the Electoral Law (Decree No. 35-2021) establishes the principle of parity. All lists of candidates for elected office, at all levels—presidential, deputies to the National Congress, the Central American Parliament, municipal corporations (mayors and councilors), and political party authorities—must be composed of 50% women and 50% men.

Constitution of Honduras and Municipalities Act (Decree No. 134-90).

For the exercise of electoral functions, there is a National Electoral Council (CNE) and an Electoral Court of Justice (TJE), both of which are autonomous, independent bodies with no subordinate relationship to any of the government powers or national security agencies, with legal personality, jurisdiction, and competence throughout the republic. The TJE is the highest authority in electoral justice and is composed of three permanent magistrates and two alternates, elected by a qualified majority of the deputies who make up the National Congress.