The election of Luis Redondo as president of Congress had been agreed upon, but Jorge Cálix remained.
The political sphere of Honduras was revolutionized following this Friday, the elected president Xiomara Castro accused 18 legislators of her party of “treason”, following they elected Jorge Cálix as the new president of Congress, ignoring a pact with the Party. Salvador de Honduras (PSH), a key ally.
Within the plans drawn up by Castro, it appeared as a transcendental movement that Luis Redondo, of the PSH, be the leader of Congress, a fact that increased the possibilities of having a greater parliamentary consensus and conquering a majority that would grant governability.
Those who were branded as “traitors” justified their decision alleging that the appointment of a man from the Libertad y Refundación (Libre) Party – the same one with which Castro won the elections – had the objective of protecting the Government.
Through Twitter, the president-elect expressed her anger and then confirmed that the 18 legislators who went once morest her decision to vote for a member of the PSH as head of Congress had been expelled.
The exclusion of the dissident deputies was notified by Castro in an extraordinary meeting of the referents and members of the Free Party, which still has Manuel Zelaya, former Honduran president and husband of the new president, as coordinator.
He also asked the Libre Revolutionary Ethics Court to “take the appropriate measures to complete the file that supports” the departure of the 18 defendants.
The betrayal was done!
– Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) January 21, 2022
“As of this date, they lose their status as active members of our party and they are prohibited from carrying out their actions in the name of Libre,” the president asserted.
There were two parliamentarians who voted for Cálix who were later ‘absolved’ from punishment because they withdrew their vote.
In addition, Castro called on members of Libre from all over Honduras to go to the capital city of Tegucigalpa this Saturday to hold a vigil from night until early Sunday to “repudiate the attempted kidnapping of legislative power.”
The promise with the PSH to lead the Congress arose following its candidate, Salvador Nasralla, resigned his candidacy at election time and supported Xiomara Castro, wife of Zelaya, who was overthrown in 2009.
Xiomara Castro’s party loses parliamentary strength
However, the figures are not enough for the allies of the new head of state to finalize the pact, given that, according to Honduran law, they need a majority plus one to appoint the directors of the Chamber or to have the power to reform and repeal laws.
Libre and its allies kept 60 of the 128 seats following the elections. Of those, 50 belonged to Libre, but now the number will be reduced to 32.
Nasralla cataloged this rebellion as “another coup, like in 2009” once morest the will of the Hondurans who elected Castro at the polls with the illusion that the PSH would lead the House.
Now, this disagreement with its ally will probably hinder the ruling party’s ability to establish positions in Congress.
On January 27, Castro will take office as president of Honduras and offered the international community “the security” that these events that “threaten to unleash an unnecessary crisis in Congress, will not stop the democratic celebration of the town”.
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