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Caribbean & Central America - October 2011 (ISSN 1741-4458)

HONDURAS: Lobo’s party eats itself

There is a saying that a country gets the government it deserves, but in the case of Honduras that surely can’t hold. Of the young Central American democracies, few have endured such inadequate, self-serving administrations. Since the return to civilian rule in 1979, followed by general elections in 1981, Honduras has had eight (democratically elected) presidents, not one of which has managed to reduce the rate of poverty below 50% of the 8.0m-strong population. In 2011, poverty is still estimated at a shocking 60%-65%. The country also suffers the ignominy of having one of the world’s highest homicide rates, which on year-to-date figures may reach a new record of 86 per 100,000 in 2011, according to the National Commission for Human Rights (CONADEH). This grim scenario is rounded off by a patchy, highly US-dependent economic performance.

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