CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001311

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS

Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary: The members of congress elected on November
29 will take office on January 25. Two days before, on
January 23, they will elect their executive board (president,
vice presidents, and secretaries). Rumors have begun about
who will be elected to the powerful position of president of
congress. The four front runners are: Rodolfo Irias, Juan
Hernandez, Antonio Rivera, and Celin Discua. All four belong
to the National Party that will have the majority in the next
congress and are conservative, supporters of a free market
economy, and pro-U.S. All but Rivera have mixed reputations
on corruption issues. End Summary.


2. (U) The national congress elected in the November 29
general election will meet on January 21 in a preparatory
session to organize the election of its executive board and
its inaugural session. The congress' new executive board
(one president, minimum of two vice-presidents, two
secretaries, and two deputy secretaries) will be elected by
the members of congress by majority vote on January 23
according to article 195 of the constitution. As provided
for by article 189 of the constitution, the new congress will
begin its session on January 25. Article 195 of the
constitution states that the president of the congress serves
a four-year terms while the other members of the
legislature's executive board serve two-year terms.


3. (C) Rumors have begun about the likely candidates for the
presidency of the congress. The position will be occupied by
a member of the National Party since the National Party will
have the majority in the next congress with 71 out of a total
of 128 seats. The next President of Honduras, Porfirio
"Pepe" Lobo, also belongs to the National Party and this will
facilitate passage of his government plan. The front-runners
are: Rodolfo "Fito" Irias, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Antonio
Cesar Rivera, and Celin Discua. All four are conservative,
supporters of a free market economy, and pro-U.S. However,
President-elect Pepe Lobo informed the Ambassador on November
17 that he was seriously giving consideration to someone from
outside the establishment, including a first-term female
legislator.

4 (SBU) Irias will begin his seventh consecutive term in
congress in 2010, representing the department of Atlantida.
He was the National Party whip in the last congress. He also
served in the last congress as president of the
telecommunications commission and was a member of the budget
and energy commissions. Irias is the most experienced
candidate, having served as president of congress during the
administration of former President of Honduras Rafael
Leonardo Callejas (1990-1994). In 2005, he supported the
campaign of Miguel Pastor, who unsuccessfully challenged Lobo
for the presidential candidacy for the National Party. Irias
earned a degree in business administration from the
University of Guadalajara in Mexico and has been involved in
several private enterprises in the communications industry
and owns shares in several soccer teams.


5. (SBU) Hernandez will serve a fourth consecutive term in
congress starting in 2010, representing the department of
Lempira. He served on the budget, telecommunications,
legislative proceedings, and market control commissions in
the last congress. Hernandez served as secretary of congress
during president-elect Lobo's tenure as president of congress
(2002-2006). Hernandez is currently the secretary-general of
the National Party's central committee. Hernandez has been a
supporter of Lobo since Lobo's initial bid for the presidency
of the country in 2005. Hernandez is an attorney who has
taught law at the National Autonomous University of Honduras.



6. (SBU) Rivera, who also served in the last congress,
represents the department of Francisco Morazan, which
includes the country's capital of Tegucigalpa. Rivera served
for nine months as mayor of Tegucigalpa in 1993, becoming the
youngest person to serve in that position. He also served as
president of the National Party's youth section. His father,
Mario Rivera, was a National Party leader and served as
president of congress in 1957. His mother is a cousin of
former President Callejas. Rivera is a lawyer who taught law
at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and
graduated from the American School in Tegucigalpa.

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7. (SBU) Discua is, according to the press, one of the
favorites because he has no ambitions to become president of
the country. He served in the last congress representing the
department of El Paraiso. He is a veteran National Party
leader who is very conservative (the furthest right of the
four likely candidates) and a friend of Lobo. Discua, the
brother of infamous former Chief of the Armed Forces Luis
Alonso Discua, served as minister of government and justice
in the Callejas administration. Discua had previously served
as head of the National Party's central committee. Discua
owns transportation businesses.


8. (C) The Honduran congress has a sullied reputation; Irias,
Hernandez, and Discua have been tainted to one degree or
another. Rivera has a relatively clean reputation. It is
important that Lobo is also quietly considering a slate of
candidates from outside the traditional political insiders.
LLORENS