General election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

s were held in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

on 28 November 2021. Among the positions being contested was the

President of Honduras The president of Honduras (), officially known as the President of the Republic of Honduras (), is the head of state and head of government of Honduras, and the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. According to the 1982 Constitution of H ...

, head of state and head of government of Honduras, to replace

Juan Orlando Hernández Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado (; born 28 October 1968), also known by his initials JOH, is a Honduran lawyer, former politician and convicted drug trafficker who was 38th president of Honduras from 27 January 2014 to 27 January 2022 for two ...

from the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

. Also up for election were the 128 deputies of the

National Congress National Congress is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures. Political parties *Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress, original name of the Oromo People's Congress *Guyana: People's National Congress Reform *India: **In ...

, 20 deputies to the , 298 mayors and 298 vice mayors, as well as 2,092 council members. Following the election,

Nasry Asfura Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah (born 8 June 1958), also known as Tito Asfura, is a Honduran politician. He served as a deputy of the National Congress of Honduras representing the Francisco Morazán department on behalf of the National Party, and se ...

of the National Party and

Xiomara Castro Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento (; born 30 September 1959), also known as Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, is a Honduran politician and businesswoman who has served as the 39th president of Honduras since 2022. She is the country's first List of elected ...

Libre Libre may refer to: Computing * Libre software, free software * Libre Computer Project, developer of open-hardware single-board computers Medicine *FreeStyle Libre, a glucose monitoring device Music * ''Libre'' (Alejandra Guzmán album) * ''Li ...

both declared victory as votes were being counted. On 30 November 2021, Asfura and the National Party conceded to Castro. Castro's win made her the first female president-elect of Honduras, the person with the most votes obtained in the history of Honduras, and ended 12 years of conservative National Party rule. She also became the first President elected from a party other than the National Party,

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, or their predecessors.

Background

Incumbent president

was first elected in 2013 after defeating Xiomara Castro, and re-elected in 2017 after orchestrating an amendment to

Constitution of Honduras The Political Constitution of the Republic of Honduras () was approved on 11 January 1982, published on 20 January 1982, amended by the National Congress of Honduras 26 times from 1984 to 2005,Dates of ratification. and 10 interpretations by Co ...

to allow for his reelection. There were large protests against Hernandez following the 2017 elections, which the OAS stated contained numerous irregularities.

Electoral system

The President of Honduras is elected by plurality, with the candidate receiving the most votes in a single round of voting declared the winner. The 128 members of the National Congress are elected by

open list Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a Political party, party's candidates are elected. This is as opposed to closed list, in which party lists ...

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

from 18 multi-member constituencies based on the

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

ranging in size from one to 23 seats. Seats are allocated using the

Hare quota The Hare quota (sometimes called the simple, ideal, or Hamilton quota) is the number of voters represented by each legislator in an idealized system of proportional representation where every vote is used to elect someone. The Hare quota is eq ...

. Each voter can cast as many votes as the number of seats to be filled in the district. Votes are cast for individual candidates.

Primary elections

Party primaries were held on 14 March 2021 to elect which candidates would represent each party.

Candidates

Nasry Asfura

is the current mayor of Honduras's capital,

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...

, and a member of the ruling right-wing

National Party of Honduras The National Party of Honduras (PNH; ) is a conservative political party in Honduras founded on 27 February 1902, by Manuel Bonilla Chirinos. Historically it has been one of the two most influential parties in the country. The party's platform ...

. During the campaign, Asfura distanced himself from former President Juan Orlando Hernandez's alleged involvement within drug trafficking schemes engaged by his brother. Asfura is known by his supporters as "Papi a la orden" or "Daddy at your service." Asfura prioritized upgrades to infrastructure and job creation. In addition, Asfura pledged support towards the business, health, education, and manufacturing sectors.

Xiomara Castro

, the

First Lady of Honduras The First Lady of Honduras () or First Gentleman of Honduras () is the title attributed to the wife or husband of the president of Honduras, concurrent with the president's term of office. The title is currently held by Manuel Zelaya, the husban ...

from 2006 to 2009, was the presidential candidate for the left-wing

Liberty and Refoundation Liberty and Refoundation (, Libre; ''libre'' is the Spanish word for "free") is a left-wing political party in Honduras. Libre was founded in 2011 by the National Popular Resistance Front (FNRP), a leftist coalition of organizations opposed to ...

(Libre) party in the 2013 general election, finishing in second place. She founded the party with her husband

Manuel Zelaya José Manuel Zelaya Rosales (born 20 September 1952)Encyclopædia BritannicaManuel Zelaya is a Hondurans, Honduran politician who served as the 35th president of Honduras from 2006 until his forcible removal in the 2009 Honduran coup d'état, 2 ...

after he was deposed in the

2009 Honduran coup d'état The 2009 Honduran coup d'état, which took place during the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis, occurred after President of Honduras, President Manuel Zelaya failed to follow a Supreme Court of Honduras, Honduran Supreme Court ruling. On 28 ...

. Her thirty-point campaign platform includes a referendum on a new constitution, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, the creation of a UN-backed anti-corruption commission modeled on the

International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (, CICIG) was an international body charged with investigating and prosecuting serious crime in Guatemala. On January 7, 2019, the agreement between the United Nations and Guatemala was te ...

(CICIG) and advancing women's rights. On economic issues, she opposes the ZEDES semi-autonomous

free trade zones A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

promoted by Juan Orlando Hernández and supports social programs to fight poverty while maintaining good relations with the private sector. She also proposes the reform of the Security, Defense, Coalition, and Secrecy Laws.

Yani Rosenthal

Yani Rosenthal Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo (born 14 July 1965) is a businessman and politician affiliated with the Liberal Party of Honduras. He was the Minister of the Presidency under President Manuel Zelaya from 2006 to 2008, and a deputy in the Nat ...

is a longtime member of the

centrist Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...

Liberal Party of Honduras The Liberal Party of Honduras ( Spanish: ''Partido Liberal de Honduras)'' is a centrist liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. It is the oldest existent political party in the country; further, it is one of the two main ...

. He is a businessman and was sentenced to three years in a US prison for laundering drug money, being released in 2020 just in time to begin his presidential campaign.

Withdrawn candidates

*Milton Benítez,

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate who withdrew to support Xiomara Castro *

Salvador Nasralla Salvador Alejandro César Nasralla Salum (born 30 January 1953) is a Honduran civil engineer, sports journalist, television presenter, businessman, and politician who served as the First Vice President of Honduras from 2022 until his resignatio ...

, a candidate in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, was planning to run as the candidate of the

Savior Party of Honduras The Savior Party of Honduras (, PSH, stylised as "Partido Sal✓ador de Honduras"), sometimes translated as the Savior of Honduras Party, is a populist political party in Honduras founded in 2020 by Salvador Nasralla, founder and member of the A ...

, but withdrew from the election on 13 October to become Castro's running mate. *Santos Rodriguez Orellana, independent candidate who was arrested under drug trafficking and homicide charges.

Opinion polls

Results

Both Asfura and Castro declared victory on election night as votes continued to be counted. On 30 November 2021, Asfura's National Party conceded defeat to Castro. Asfura announced in a statement that he met with Castro and her family to congratulate her win. Castro's victory marked the end of 12 years of National Party control of the presidency, following the

constitutional crisis In political science, a constitutional crisis is a problem or conflict in the function of a government that the constitution, political constitution or other fundamental governing law is perceived to be unable to resolve. There are several variat ...

and the subsequent

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

that ousted Castro's husband in 2009. Castro is the first female president of Honduras.

President

National Congress

Parlacen

Municipal Level

{, {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:90%; line-height:1.2em; padding:2px;" !Political Party or Alliance !Votes !% !Municipalities !+/– !Councilors , - ,

, , 1,101,599, ,

32.96%

, , , , 31, , , - , Alliance UD- PNH, , 157,842, ,

4.73%

, , , , -, , , - ,

, , 872,558, ,

26.11%

, , , , 2, , , - ,

, , 966,869, ,

28.93%

, , , , 19, , , - , Alliance PLH-

, , 43,840, ,

1.31%

, , , , -, , , - ,

, , 53,480, ,

1.60%

, , , , New, , , - , Independent candidates, , 16,496, ,

0.49%

, , , , 1, , , - ,

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

, , rowspan="10" align="center" , 129,138 , , rowspan="10" ,

3.86%

, , , , 2, , , - ,

Honduran Patriotic Alliance The Honduran Patriotic Alliance () is a centre-right political party in Honduras. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez Romeo Orlando Vásquez Velásquez (born 20 January 1957) is a Honduras, Honduran politician and retired brigadier general. He was the h ...

, , , , -, , , - ,

Innovation and Unity Party The Innovation and Unity Party—Social Democracy (, PINU-SD) is a social democratic political party in Honduras, established in 1970. PINU was created by Miguel Andonie Fernández as a democratic, moderate left-wing alternative to the two maj ...

, , , , 1, , , - , All of Us Are Honduras Party, , , , New, , , - ,

Anti-Corruption Party The Anti-Corruption Party (, PAC) is a political party in Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast ...

, , , , 1, , , - , Va Movimiento Solidario Party, , , , 1, , , - , Democratic Unification, , , , -, , , - , New Route, , , , New, , , - , LIDEHR, , , , New, , , - , The Front, , , , New, , , - , align=left, Total, , 3,341,822, , 100%, , 298, , -, , 2142 , - , colspan=6, Source
La Prensa
an

Reactions

International

Flag of the Organization of American States

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

: the head of the Electoral Observation Mission of the OAS,

Luis Guillermo Solís Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera (; born 25 April 1958) is a Costa Rican politician and educator who was the 47th President of Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018. He is a member of the Citizens' Action Party (PAC). Solís led the field in the 2014 pre ...

, remarked the responsibility with which Hondurans voted in an "atmosphere of peace and civility" and that the three majority political forces of the country contributed to celebrate "a peaceful election day". Even so, he regretted that an agreement was not reached to reform the electoral law and that the deficiencies detected must be improved. *: The

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

congratulated Castro for being the first woman President-elect. Canada states that they are looking forward to work with Castro on several priorities, particularly democracy, inclusivity, abortion, and reducing corruption. *: The

President of Nicaragua The co-presidents of Nicaragua (), officially known as the presidency of the Republic of Nicaragua (), are the heads of state and head of government, government of Nicaragua. The office was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until ...

Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...

and his

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Rosario Murillo Rosario María Murillo Zambrana (; born 22 June 1951) is a Nicaraguan politician and poet, who is serving as co-president of Nicaragua along with her husband, President Daniel Ortega, since February 2025. Before this, she served as the vice ...

congratulated among the first the candidate Xiomara Castro through an official statement published on 29 November 2021, stating: "Dear Xiomara, Dear Brothers: We salute with much respect and appreciation the progress towards the electoral triumph in Dear Honduras, where that Brother People lives the hope of better times. ... In our closeness and good neighborhood, we continue determined to advance creating the future.". *: The

Government of Spain The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the ...

congratulated Xiomara Castro on her victory, which is "symbolising the achievements in the struggle for the equality of Honduran women". He also praised Castro's message of "reconciliation, peace and justice" in her victory speech and the Honduran people for a "smooth" election. *: United States Secretary of State

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...

congratulated Castro on her win following Asfura's concession. In a statement, he expressed congratulations to Castro for becoming the first female president of Honduras. *: President

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

expressed through Twitter his congratulations to Castro for her "historic victory".

National

* David Chávez, President of the

announced that the party will contribute to a constructive opposition and that they were ready to work with the new government.

Aftermath

A few months after the election and the end of Hernández's term, it was revealed that on 1 July 2021, Hernández had his visa revoked by the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

, due to involvements in corruption and in the illegal drug trade. On 14 February 2022, he was surrounded by the national police and

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

agents at his home in

, after the U.S. government had requested his extradition for his involvement with narcotics. On 15 February 2022, he agreed to surrender to US authorities, and on 21 April, Hernández was extradited to the United States. On 8 March 2024, Hernández was convicted of three counts of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy, the mandatory minimum sentence for which is 40 years in prison.

Notes

References

{{Honduran elections

Presidential elections in Honduras Election and referendum articles with incomplete results

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...