Honduras: President and dissident deputies find an agreement

The dissidents had refused to respect Xiomara Castro’s commitment to reserve the position of President of Parliament to a member for an Allied Party, whose support had been decisive for his election as president.

Le Monde with AFP

The objective was to put an end to the parliamentary crisis that shook the country since the end of January. Monday, February 7, the new president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, found an agreement with the dissident deputies of his party. The latter will be reinstated to the Party, in exchange for the recognition of the legitimacy of Luis Redondo as President of the Parliament supported by the new President on the left.

“Although we have not shared a moment the strategy, we are ready to respect the decision to support the member Luis Redondo to chair” Parliament, “said the old dissidents.

Political agreement

The crisis had erupted at the end of January, when the dissidents refused to respect the commitment of M me Castro to reserve the position of President of Parliament to Mr. Redondo, Member of Parliament for an Allied Party , the Salvador Party of Honduras (PSH), whose support had been decisive for its election as president. Two competing parliaments were then installed, one chaired by the member dissident Jorge Calix, the other by Mr. Redondo, who gave the presidential scarf to M me Castro during his investiture.

After signing the agreement, Mr. Calix assured “to put aside, without thinking about [his] political career, thinking only about what is best right now for the Honduran people”. The member, to whom M Castro had proposed a high ministerial position to try to untie the crisis, refused to integrate the government.

“If the party who won the elections, who has fifty deputies, does not answer, united, to the popular will with his constitutional president of the Republic, then the people will not support us,” reacted for his part. Manuel Zelaya, the leader of the free party, spouse of the president and himself former president filed in 2009 by a coup d’etat.

The National Party (PN, Right) has conveniently congratulated the success of the dialogue within the presidential party, but requested that the election of Mr. Redondo be ratified by a new vote at the meeting. The Parliament of Honduras is composed of 128 deputies: fifty of the free presidential party, ten of the PSH, forty-four of the NP, twenty-two of the Liberal Party of Honduras (right) and two of ultra-international parties.

/Media reports.