TFH01: FEMALE REPRESENTATION DECREASES IN CONGRESS

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001281

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: FEMALE REPRESENTATION DECREASES IN CONGRESS

REF: TEGUCIGALPA 1267


1. (U) Summary. Election results issued by the Supreme
Electoral Tribunal (TSE) showed that the National Congress
will maintain its traditional plurality of male
representatives. The next 128-seat legislature will likely
contain 25 congresswomen, comprising 19.53 percent of the
total congressional seats; this is a decrease from the 31
congresswomen elected in the 2005 general election. In 2000,
the Law of Equal Opportunities for Women established a goal
of female political representation at 30 percent, a figure
which has not been reached since the law's introduction. End
Summary.


2. (U) According to figures issued by the Honduran National
Institute of Statistics (INE),the current population of
Honduras is estimated at 7,876,197 with 3,993,466 females and
3,882,731 males. In the 2001 and 2005 general elections, 51
percent of eligible voters were female. Despite the
population's female majority, prior to the 2005 general
election, male representatives consistently held more than 90
percent of the seats in Congress.


3. (U) Congressional results released by the TSE on
December 8 (see reftel) showed that the next legislature will
likely include 25 congresswomen, garnering 19.53 percent of
the seats in Congress. This marks a decrease from the 31
female representatives elected in 2005 who held 24.22 percent
of the congressional seats. However, overall female
representation in the legislature has steadily increased
since the nation's first democratic general election in 1981.
A report from the National Women's Institute of Honduras
(INAM) imparts that in 1981 congresswomen comprised just 2.4
percent of the Congress, while from 1985 to 2001 between 6-10
percent of the congressional seats were held by women.


4. (U) Female representation in the next legislature will
consist of: 15 National Party congresswomen, eight Liberal
Party congresswomen, and one congresswoman each from the
Christian Democratic Party and the Democratic Unification
Party. None of the female candidates from the Social
Democratic Innovation and Unity Party (PINU) were elected to
Congress. Only ten of the elected representatives were
incumbent candidates. Female candidates appeared to fare
better in areas with a large urban population, as 14 of the
elected congresswomen originated from the populous
departments of Francisco Morazan and Cortes. Of the total
628 candidates on the congressional ballots, 191 of the
candidates were female, comprising 30.41 percent of the
field. The three small parties had a higher concentration of
female candidates than the two major parties; the proportion
of female candidates on each party's ballots translated to:
25 percent for the National Party, 21.88 percent for the
Liberal Party, 35.16 percent for the Christian Democratic
Party, 36.22 percent for the PINU Party, and 34.19 percent
for the Democratic Unification Party.


5. (U) The Law of Equal Opportunities for Women, signed
into effect on April 11, 2000, established a goal of female
political representation at 30 percent. Article 81 of the
law lists the popularly elected positions considered in
determining the representation of women; these positions
include: congressional representatives and alternate
congressional representatives, representatives to the Central
American Parliament, mayors, vice-mayors, and elected
positions in city councils. The 30 percent figure was
established as a minimum base, that would "progressively
increase until equity between men and women is achieved."
Since the law's introduction, the baseline goal has not been
met, and the law provides no inducements for success or
sanctions for failure to reach its desired proportion.
LLORENS