The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Honduras

This page contains a list of the greatest Honduran Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 24 of which were born in Honduras. This makes Honduras the birth place of the 101st most number of Politicians behind Kyrgyzstan, and Costa Rica.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Honduran Politicians of all time. This list of famous Honduran Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Honduran Politicians.

1. Francisco Morazán (1792 - 1842)

With an HPI of 64.08, Francisco Morazán is the most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages on wikipedia.

José Francisco Morazán Quesada (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈsisko moɾaˈsan]; born October 3, 1792 – September 15, 1842) was a liberal Central American politician and general who served as president of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1830 to 1839. Before he was president of Central America he was the head of state of Honduras. He rose to prominence at the Battle of La Trinidad on November 11, 1827. Morazán then dominated the political and military scene of Central America until his execution in 1842. In the political arena, Francisco Morazán was recognized as a visionary and great thinker, as he attempted to transform Central America into one large and progressive nation. He enacted liberal reforms in the new Federal Republic of Central America, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Morazán also limited church power by making marriage secular and abolishing government-aided tithing. These reforms made him some powerful enemies, and his period of rule was marked by bitter infighting between liberals and conservatives. But through his military skills, Morazán was able to keep a firm grip on power until 1837, when the Federal Republic became irrevocably fractured. This was exploited by the conservative leaders, who rallied around the leadership of Rafael Carrera and in order to protect their own interests, ended up dividing Central America into five nations.

2. Xiomara Castro (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 63.98, Xiomara Castro is the 2nd most famous Honduran Politician. Her biography has been translated into 46 different languages.

Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌsjoˈmaɾa ˈkastɾo]; born 30 September 1959), also known as Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, is a Honduran politician and business administrator, who has served as the 39th president of Honduras since 2022. She is the country's first female president, and served as first lady during the presidency of her husband Manuel Zelaya. Castro grew up in Tegucigalpa and studied business administration. She married in 1976 and became active in the women's section of the Liberal Party of Honduras. She became the country's first lady in 2006 following her husband's victory in the 2005 Honduran presidential election. Castro became involved in the National Popular Resistance Front after her husband's refusal to comply with a Supreme Court order led to the 2009 Honduran coup d'état, forcing him into exile. She was nominated as the presidential candidate of the left-wing Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party at the 2013 Honduran general election, finishing runner-up to National Party of Honduras candidate Juan Orlando Hernández and outpolling Liberal candidate Mauricio Villeda. At the 2017 Honduran general election, she was Salvador Nasralla's running mate, with the ticket narrowly losing to Hernández amidst allegations of irregularities. Castro was ultimately elected to the presidency in the 2021 Honduran general election, defeating National candidate Nasry Asfura with Nasralla as her running mate. She is the first president from outside the country's two-party system since democracy was restored in 1982. In 2023, she was ranked 94 (out of 100) in the Forbes list of "World's 100 most powerful women".

3. Manuel Zelaya (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 63.86, Manuel Zelaya is the 3rd most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

José Manuel Zelaya Rosales (born 20 September 1952) is a Honduran politician who served as the 35th president of Honduras from 2006 until his forcible removal in the 2009 coup d'état; since January 2022, he has served as the inaugural first gentleman of Honduras. He is the eldest son of a wealthy businessman, and inherited his father's nickname "Mel". Before entering politics he was involved in his family's logging and timber businesses. Elected as a liberal, Zelaya shifted to the political left during his presidency, forging an alliance with the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas known as ALBA. On 28 June 2009, during the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis, he was seized by the military and sent to Costa Rica in a coup d'état. On 21 September 2009, he returned to Honduras clandestinely and resurfaced in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. In 2010, he left Honduras for the Dominican Republic, an exile that lasted more than a year. He now represents Honduras as a deputy of the Central American Parliament. Since January 1976 Zelaya has been married to Xiomara Castro, the current President of Honduras, elected in the 2021 general election. Upon his wife's inauguration, Zelaya became the first "First Gentleman" in Honduran history.

4. Porfirio Lobo Sosa (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 63.30, Porfirio Lobo Sosa is the 4th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Porfirio Lobo Sosa (born 22 January 1947) also known by his nickname, Pepe Lobo, is a Honduran former politician, business administrator, and agricultural landowner who served as 37th President of Honduras from 27 January 2010 to 27 January 2014. A member of the conservative National Party and a former deputy in the National Congress of Honduras from 25 January 1990, he was president of the National Congress of Honduras from 25 January 2002 to 25 January 2006. He came second to Manuel Zelaya with 46% of the vote in the 2005 general election. After the military ousted Zelaya in a coup d'état, Lobo was elected president in the 2009 presidential election and took office on 27 January 2010.

5. Oswaldo López Arellano (1921 - 2010)

With an HPI of 60.34, Oswaldo López Arellano is the 5th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Oswaldo Enrique López Arellano (30 June 1921 – 16 May 2010) was a Honduran politician who twice served as the President of Honduras, first from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1972 until 1975.

6. Roberto Micheletti (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 59.96, Roberto Micheletti is the 6th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Roberto Micheletti Baín (born August 13, 1943) is a Honduran politician who served as the interim and 36th president of Honduras from June 28, 2009, to January 27, 2010, as a result of the 2009 Honduran coup d'état. The Honduran military ousted the President, and the National Congress read a letter of resignation, which was refuted two minutes later by Manuel Zelaya in conversation with CNN en Español; days later, the coup-plotters claimed that the Supreme Court had ordered to forcefully detain President Manuel Zelaya because "he was violating the Honduran constitution"; Zelaya was exiled rather than arrested. Micheletti, constitutionally next in line for the presidency, was sworn in as president by the National Congress a few hours after Zelaya was sent into exile by the Honduran military. He was not acknowledged as de jure president by any government or international organization. The 2009 general election took place as planned in November and elected Porfirio Lobo Sosa to succeed Micheletti. Before serving as president, Micheletti was the president of Honduras' National Congress. A deputy in Congress since 1982, Micheletti is currently a member of the Liberal Party of Honduras.

7. Tiburcio Carías Andino (1876 - 1969)

With an HPI of 58.87, Tiburcio Carías Andino is the 7th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Tiburcio Carías Andino (5 March 1876 – 23 December 1969) was a Honduran politician and military officer with the rank of major general. He served as the 38th president of Honduras, briefly in 1924 as constitutional president and later in the form of a dictatorial regime from 1933 until 1949. He was elected president of Honduras in the midst of the Great Depression. He strengthened the Armed Forces, maintained the support of the banana companies by opposing strikes, strongly aligned its government with that of the United States, and kept the country in strict adherence to debt payments.

8. Juan Lindo (1790 - 1857)

With an HPI of 58.80, Juan Lindo is the 8th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Juan Nepomuceno Fernández Lindo y Zelaya, generally known as Juan Lindo (16 May 1790 – 23 April 1857), was a conservative Central American politician, provisional president of the Republic of El Salvador from 1841 to 1842, and President of the Republic of Honduras from 1847 to 1852.

9. Carlos Roberto Reina (1926 - 2003)

With an HPI of 56.59, Carlos Roberto Reina is the 9th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Carlos Roberto Reina Idiáquez (March 13, 1926 – August 19, 2003) was a Honduran politician, lawyer and diplomat who served as the 32nd President of Honduras from January 27, 1994 to January 27, 1998. He was a member of the Honduran Liberal Party.

10. Ramón Villeda Morales (1909 - 1971)

With an HPI of 56.41, Ramón Villeda Morales is the 10th most famous Honduran Politician. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

José Ramón Adolfo "el Pajarito" Villeda Morales (November 26, 1909 – October 8, 1971) served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963.

People

Pantheon has 24 people classified as Honduran politicians born between 1790 and 1972. Of these 24, 7 (29.17%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Honduran politicians include Xiomara Castro, Manuel Zelaya, and Porfirio Lobo Sosa. The most famous deceased Honduran politicians include Francisco Morazán, Oswaldo López Arellano, and Tiburcio Carías Andino. As of April 2024, 24 new Honduran politicians have been added to Pantheon including Francisco Morazán, Xiomara Castro, and Manuel Zelaya.