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Liberal Party of Honduras Partido Liberal de Honduras
President	Yani Rosenthal
Founder	Policarpo Bonilla[1]
Founded	5 February 1891 (1891-02-05)
Headquarters	Tegucigalpa, MDC
Ideology	Liberalism
Political position	Centre
Regional affiliation	Center-Democratic Integration Group
Continental affiliation	RELIAL COPPPAL
International affiliation	Liberal International
Colours	Red
Anthem	"Himno del Partido Liberal de Honduras" "Hymn of the Liberal Party of Honduras"
National Congress	32 / 128
Party flag
Website
www.partidoliberal.hn
Politics of Honduras Political parties Elections

TheLiberal Party of Honduras (Spanish:Partido Liberal de Honduras) is acentrist^[2]liberalpolitical party inHonduras 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 theLiberal International. The PLH is identified with the colors red and white, as the flagFrancisco Morazán used in most of his military campaigns during the time of theCentral American Federal Republic.

The party is against the legalization of abortion, which is punishable by imprisonment in Honduras.^[3]

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 formedNational 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 rise of GeneralTiburcio 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]

When the “Cariato” ended, the PLH returned to the electoral arena with an ascendant liberal faction. The PLH won at the1954 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 the1963 Honduran coup d'état.^[8]

Military supremacy over politics was consolidated after the 1963 coup, and military officers occupied the presidency save for the brief civilian administration ofRamón 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 theUnited States began putting pressure on the military to begin a transition back to civilian administration, which was finally realized in 1982.^[9][10]

The PLH won the closely contested 2005 presidential race, but at the moment^[update] the PNH has a majority in theNational Congress due to an alliance with theChristian Democrats(Democracia Cristiana).

In thegeneral 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'sPorfirio 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 andsocialism during his presidency, forging an alliance with theHugo Chávez-linkedALBA,^[11] angering conservatives and his own Liberal Party. He was deposed by acoup d'état in 2009 and replaced byRoberto Micheletti, also of the Liberal Party.

At the2009 elections, which took place after the 2009 Honduran coup d'état that removedManuel Zelaya from power, the Liberal Party suffered a heavy defeat by the National Party, with the Nationals' candidate forpresident,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 candidateElvin Santos. In the elections for theNational 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]

In 2011, Zelaya's supporters left the Liberal Party and foundedLiberty and Refoundation.

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 the2013 election, liberal candidateMauricio Villeda got 20.3% of votes, finishing third.

The party further declined in the2017 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 the2021 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.

For the2025 election, the party selectedSalvador Nasralla as its nominee for president during party primaries.^[15] Nasralla served as theLiberty and Refoundation candidate in the 2017 elections.

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1891	Policarpo Bonilla	15,300	30.81%	LostN
1894	Policarpo Bonilla	42,667	98.84%	ElectedY
1898	Terencio Sierra	36,756	82.53%
1902	Juan Ángel Arias Boquín	25,118	42.9%	LostN
1919	Rafael López Gutiérrez	79,068	81.0%	ElectedY
1923	Juan Ángel Arias	20,424	19.4%	LostN
1924	Did not run
1928	Vicente Mejía Colindres	62,319	56.62%	ElectedY
1932	Angel Zúñiga Huete	61,643	56.85%	LostN
1948		210	00.08%
1954	Ramón Villeda Morales	121,213	48.10%	ElectedY
1957		205,135	61.85%
1971	Jorge Bueso Arias	269,989	47.38%	LostN
1981	Roberto Suazo Cordova	636,437	53.9%	ElectedY
1985	José Simón Azcona del Hoyo	786,624	51.02%
1989	Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé	776,698	44.33%	LostN
1993	Carlos Roberto Reina	906,793	53.01%	ElectedY
1997	Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé	1,040,403	52.65%
2001	Rafael Pineda Ponce	962,446	44.2%	LostN
2005	Manuel Zelaya	999,006	45.6%	ElectedY
2009	Elvin Santos	816,874	38.10%	LostN
2013	Mauricio Villeda	632,320	20.30%
2017	Luis Orlando Zelaya	484,187	14.74%
2021	Yani Rosenthal	335,762	10.00%

In the1957 election,Ramón Villeda Morales was elected by the Constituent Assembly.

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position
1923			9 / 48	9	3rd
1924			0 / 46	9	2nd
1926			6 / 46	6
1928			21 / 48	15
1930			23 / 48	2
1932			13 / 56	10
1934			4 / 59	9
1936	46	0.01%	0 / 59	4
1942			0 / 45
1948	210	0.08%	0 / 49
1954	121,213	48.10%	24 / 59	24	1st
1956	41,724	10.08%	0 / 58	24	2nd
1957	205,135	61.85%	36 / 58	36	1st
1965	272,198	44.85%	29 / 64	7	2nd
1971	269,989	47.38%	32 / 64	3
1980	495,779	51.68%	35 / 71	2	1st
1981	636,437	53.9%	44 / 82	9
1985	786,624	51.02%	67 / 134	23
1989	776,698	44.33%	51 / 128	16	2nd
1993	906,793	53.01%	71 / 128	20	1st
1997	1,040,403	52.65%	67 / 128	4
2001	850,290	40.8%	55 / 128	12	2nd
2005		44.84%	62 / 128	7	1st
2009		30.78%	45 / 128	17	2nd
2013		16.97%	27 / 128	18	3rd
2017	484,187	20.31%	26 / 128	1
2021		11.14%	22 / 128	4	4th

• Liberalism worldwide
• List of liberal parties
• Liberalism in Honduras

• Liberal Party of Honduras official site

• Full member parties of the Liberal International
• Liberal parties in North America
• Political parties in Honduras
• Political parties established in 1891
• 1891 establishments in Honduras

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