No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeHondurasAnti-corruption protests spread to Honduras with demands that President Hernández resign

Anti-corruption protests spread to Honduras with demands that President Hernández resign

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Approximately 5,000 protesters Friday demanded Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández’s resignation after he was accused by the opposition of having accepted illegal funds from the Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS) to finance his presidential campaign in 2013.

The protest in Tegucigalpa is the latest in a wave of discontent that has swept through Central America, after Guatemalans took to the streets for five consecutive weeks to demand the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina.

See the entire Tico Times coverage of the protests in Guatemala here

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP

Opposition party leaders accused the right-wing National Party (PN) government of having accepted approximately $90 million from IHSS to finance Hernández’s campaign in 2013, a cut of more than $300 million in diverted funds from the IHSS.

Protesters marched down Kennedy Boulevard to the government house and the School Hospital with lit torches, chanting “leave, leave,” and “Who stole our Social Security? The National Party.”

“We are asking that those officials who have stolen from the people resign, and they include the president, the president of Congress, Mauricio Oliva, [and] the chief prosecutor, Óscar Chincilla,” said a legislator of the left-wing Freedom and Reorganization (Libre) party founded by overthrown ex-President Manuel Zelaya.

Hours before the protest, lawyer Jaime Banegas, representing PN officials, filed a lawsuit before the Judicial Branch for libel and slander against Salvador Nasralla, the former candidate of the opposition Anticorruption Party (PAC), for having denounced them to the local media for allegedly accepting funds from the IHSS to finance the campaign.

Trending Now

White House Calls Nobel Prize to Venezuelan Machado ‘Politics Over Peace’

The Norwegian Nobel Committee handed the 2025 Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday, sparking sharp words from the White...

Family Beach Day in Costa Rica Exploring Tidepools and Wildlife

My two sons couldn’t be more different. They look completely different. They act completely differently. They eat different foods. They have different interests. This...

Costa Rica Faces a Must-Win for a Place in 2026 World Cup

Costa Rica's national soccer team faces a defining stretch in their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup. With just two points from their...

Riu Guanacaste Hotel Reopens in Costa Rica After Renovation

The Riu Guanacaste hotel in Costa Rica has reopened after a complete renovation, welcoming guests back to its beachfront spot on Matapalo Beach. The...

Costa Rican Congressman Faces Sexual Abuse Allegations from 2006

Fabricio Alvarado, a sitting congressman and presidential hopeful for the New Republic Party, now contends with a formal complaint accusing him of sexually abusing...

Costa Rica’s Draw Against Honduras Boosts World Cup Hopes

Costa Rica held Honduras to a scoreless draw in their World Cup qualifier last night, picking up a point that keeps their qualification hopes...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica