Event Summary
Ahead of the general elections scheduled for 30 November 2025, the political environment in Honduras has become characterized by polarisation and a worrying increase in electoral violence. Political campaigns increasingly rely on messages that incite violence, hatred, and aggression. This climate of violence, including the assassination of candidates for public office, limits human rights and directly violates the essential principles for an enabling environment for civil society. A report by the National Autonomous University of Honduras warns of an increase in political violence in a context marked by electoral uncertainty including the partisan capture of electoral institutions, attempts to destabilise the National Electoral Council, and the state’s inability to ensure transparent elections and sanction illegitimate political financing. They highlight specifically attacks on democratic principles such as citizen participation, freedom of expression, and the separation of powers.
The level of violence embedded in the campaigns of candidates perpetuate the perception of politics as a violent battlefield, rather than an arena of legitimate debate, constructive and safe dialogue to find consensus on development proposals. It negatively affects civic culture by generating distrust and apathy among citizens, creating an environment of fear that limits the participation of different actors, especially human rights defenders.
The role of organised civil society will be crucial in the coming weeks to act as an essential counterweight to state power and to protect and restore democratic principles. Civil society actors need to monitor and document abuses of power, corruption, human rights violations, and non-compliance with the law by officials and institutions, conducting investigations and demanding transparency in the use of public funds. Strengthening democracy in the long term requires an informed and active citizenry. To achieve this, civil society actors should design and implement educational and citizen awareness campaigns, develop programs to educate the public about their rights, the principles of democracy and the functioning of the rule of law, and ensure that citizens have access to information, which is vital to counter disinformation and propaganda.