The new president of Honduras Xiomara Castro reached an agreement on Monday February 7 with the dissident deputies of her party to put an end to the parliamentary crisis which shook the country since the end of January.
According to this agreement, the dissident deputies recognize the legitimacy of the president of Parliament supported by the new president of the left, Luis Redondo.
Read alsoXiomara Castro, first woman to head Honduras
At the end of January, deputy Jorge Calix had himself elected president of a parallel parliament by a group of dissidents from Xiomara Castro's Free Party. This election took place in violation of an agreement with Luis Redondo's party, also on the left, and with the support of the right-wing opposition. Under the terms of the agreement signed Monday between the Free Party and the 17 dissident deputies, these, who had been excluded, are reinstated.
“Although we did not share the strategy for a moment, we are ready to respect the decision to support the deputy Luis Redondo to preside”
the Parliament, indicate the dissidents.
After signing the agreement, Jorge Calix assured
"to put aside, without thinking about
(his)
political career, thinking only of what is best at this time for the Honduran people."
Jorge Calix, to whom Xioamara Castro had offered a senior ministerial post in an attempt to resolve the crisis, refused to join the government.
The crisis erupted when the dissidents refused to honor Xiomara Castro's commitment to reserve the post of Speaker of Parliament for Luis Redondo, deputy of an allied party, the Savior Party of Honduras (PSH), whose support had been decisive for his election as president.
Two competing Parliaments were then installed, one chaired by Jorge Calix, the other by Luis Redondo, who gave the presidential sash to Xiomara Castro during his investiture.
Read alsoHonduras: the election of the president of Parliament turns into a political crisis
"If the party that won the elections, which has 50 deputies, does not respond, united, to the popular will with its constitutional president of the Republic, then the people will not support us"
, reacted Manuel Zelaya, the leader of the Free Party, husband of the president and himself a former president deposed in 2009 by a coup d'etat.
The National Party (PN, right),
welcomed
the success of the dialogue within the presidential party, but demanded that the election of Luis Redondo be ratified by a new vote in the Assembly.
The Parliament of Honduras is made up of 128 deputies: 50 from the presidential Free Party, 10 from the PSH, 44 from the PN, 22 from the Liberal Party (PL, right) and two from ultra-minority parties.
