General election in Honduras in 1971
The 1971 general election in Honduras took place on March 28, 1971. Voters in Honduras were called upon to elect the members of the National Congress to replace the Constituent Assembly elected on February 16, 1965.
background
In this election, women in Honduras were able to participate in the parliamentary elections for the first time, even if the right to vote for women was introduced in 1955.
The two main political parties in Honduras, the Liberal Party and the National Party , each put forward candidates for election. Left groups had called for abstentions in the election due to the existing voting obligation. Around 32% of voters followed this call.
At the beginning of the election campaign they had agreed that the representative power in parliament, the Supreme Court, in the government, in the administrations and in all state institutions would be shared by both parties. The winning party would nominate the Congress President, who would have a casting vote.
The focus of the election campaign was the defense of Honduras' interests in the Central American Common Market (MCAA), from which Honduras withdrew in 1970. Both the National Party and the Liberals agreed that talks with the other member countries of the MCAA should resume. In addition, both parties believed that relations between Honduras and El Salvador should return to normal after the so-called football war that took place in 1969.
Election result
After the National Party's victory, Ramón Ernesto Cruz was elected President of Honduras to succeed General Oswaldo López Arellano .
| Political party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Liberal Party | 32 |
| National party | 32 |