# Executive branch of the government of Honduras

The Republic of Honduras is organized according to Title I: On the State of the Honduran Constitution of 1982. According to Title V: Branches of the Government, the three administrative branches are the legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative branch is the National Congress, which is elected by direct vote. Executive power is held by the president of Honduras or, in their absence, by one of the three vice-presidents. The judicial branch is composed of a supreme court, a court of appeals and other courts specified by the law.

## President

The president, the head of state, of government and supreme administrative authority, is chosen by its citizens. The current president is Xiomara Castro who was preceded by Juan Orlando Hernández. The vice-presidents are Salvador Nasralla, Doris Gutiérrez, and Renato Florentino.

### Responsibilities

* To comply with and enforce the Constitution, treaties and conventions, laws, and other legal provisions
* To represent and direct the policies of the state
* To safeguard the independence and honor of the republic and the integrity and inviolability of its territory
* To maintain the peace and internal security of the republic and to repel attacks or external aggression
* To freely appoint and dismiss secretaries and deputy secretaries of the cabinet, along with other officials and employees whose appointment is not assigned to other authorities
* To convene the national congress in special sessions (through the permanent committee) or to propose the continuance of regular sessions
* To restrict or suspend the exercise of rights in agreement with the Council of Ministers, subject to the constitution
* To send messages to the congress at any time by personal appearance, and in writing when each legislative session begins
* To participate in the enacting of laws by introducing bills in the congress through the secretaries of the cabinet
* To give to the legislative and judicial powers and the supreme electoral tribunal the aid required to make their resolutions effective
* To issue directives, decrees, regulations and resolutions according to law
* To direct foreign policy and relations
* To conclude treaties and agreements and to ratify (following approval by the congress) international treaties of a political and military nature, those relating to national territory and sovereignty and concessions, those entailing financial obligations for the public treasury, those requiring amendment or repeal of a constitutional or legal provision and those requiring legislation for implementation
* To appoint (in accordance with the foreign-service law) the heads of diplomatic and consular missions, who shall be Honduran nationals by birth except for honorary posts or joint representatives of Honduras with other states
* To receive the heads of foreign diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations; to issue the exequatur to (and withdraw it from) consuls of other states
* To command the armed forces the commander-in-chief and adopt measures necessary for the defense of the republic
* To declare war and make peace during a recess of the congress, which must be subsequently convened
* To oversee the official behavior of public officials and employees for the security and prestige of the government and state
* To administer the public treasury
* To adopt economic and financial measures when the national interest so requires and to give an account to the congress
* To negotiate loans and conclude contracts following approval by the congress, when appropriate
* To draw up the national development plan, discuss it with the council of ministers, submit it to the national congress for approval and direct and execute it
* To regulate tariffs according to law
* To pardon and commute sentences according to law
* To confer declarations according to law
* To ensure that state revenues are collected and to regulate their investment according to law
* To publish a quarterly statement of income and expenditure of public revenue
* To organize, direct, orient and promote public education, eradicate illiteracy and provide and improve technical education
* To adopt measures for the promotion, recovery and rehabilitation of public health and the prevention of disease
* To direct the economic and financial policy of the state
* To supervise and control banks, insurance companies and investment houses through a national banking and insurance commission whose membership and operation shall be governed by law, and to appoint the president and vice-presidents of the state banks according to law
* To prescribe measures and provisions to promote agrarian reform and improve productivity in rural areas
* To sanction, veto, promulgate and publish laws approved by the congress
* To direct and support economic and social integration, national and international, to improve the living conditions of the Honduran people
* To create, maintain and suppress public services, taking necessary measures for their efficient operation
* To confer military ranks from second lieutenant to captain, inclusive
* To see that the armed forces are apolitical, professional and obedient
* To issue and cancel naturalization papers authorized by the executive branch, according to law
* To award pensions, bonuses and allowances, according to law
* To confer legal status on civil organizations, according to law
* To ensure harmony between capital and labor
* To fix and revise the minimum wage, according to law
* To permit or deny, following authorization by the congress, transit through Honduran territory of foreign troops
* To permit (following authorization by the congress) the departure of Honduran troops to serve in foreign territory, in accordance with international treaties and conventions for the maintenance of peace
* Other powers and duties conferred by the constitution and legislation

## Ministries and secretaries

| Ministry | Current |
| Presidential designates (Vice-presidents) | Doris Gutiérrez, Renato Florentino |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Eduardo Enrique Reina |
| Minister of Finance | Marlon David Ochoa Martinez |
| Minister of Economic Development | Pedro Barquero |
| Minister of Education | Daniel Esponda |
| Minister of Health | José Manuel Matheu |
| Minister of Agriculture and Farming | Laura Suazo |
| Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Decentralization | Tomás Vaquero |
| Minister of Security | Gustavo Sánchez |
| Minister of Defense | Angel Edmundo Orellana Mercado |
| Minister of Infrastructure and Public Services | Mauricio Ramos |
| Minister of Development and Social Inclusion | José Carlos Cardona |
| Council of Ministers | Rodolfo Pastor de María Campos |
| Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment | Lucky Medina |
| Minister of Work and Social Security | Sarahí Cerna |
| Minister of Tourism | Yadira Gómez |
| Advisor Minister on Transparency and Fight against Corruption | Edmundo Orellana Mercado |
| Private Secretary | Héctor Zelaya Castro |
| Minister of Human Rights | Natalie Roque |
| Minister of the Press | Ivis Alvarado |
| Advisor Minister on Communications | Milton Benítez |
| Head of the Income Administration Service (SAR) | Cristian Duarte |
| Advisor Minister to the Presidency on Labor Matters | Olvin Rodríguez |
| Minister of Youth | Zulmit Rivera |
| Minister of Women | Doris García |

## General budget

In January 2014, the government of Honduras approved a general budget of 183,635,281,000 lempiras ($9 billion), allocated as follows:
* 179.681 million for the executive branch
* 1.864 million for the judicial branch
* 2.089 million for the legislative branch