Honduras Supreme Court Plenary ratifies Wagner Vallecillo as its new president

Tegucigalpa.- The plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras ratified this Thursday magistrate Wagner Vallecillo as the new head of that branch of the State, after he was provisionally elected on Wednesday by Parliament, replacing Rebeca Ráquel Obando. The announcement was made by Vallecillo himself after the end of a session of the Supreme Court made up of fifteen magistrates, including Obando, who resigned as president on Wednesday to avoid being subjected to a political trial that would be opened by the Legislative Branch. “We have concluded the full meeting of the magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice and for me it is a great honor to inform the Honduran people that we have received the support of the fellow magistrates of the plenary, who have unanimously ratified the initiative presented in the National Congress of the Republic,” said Vallecillo. He added that he faces the new challenge “with determination, prudence and a vocation for service” and that “the Judiciary is an institution of the State that transcends circumstances. Its mission is to guarantee respect for the law, the Constitution and the rights of all people without distinction.” Vallecillo also called on the judicial system staff “to calm, trust, and commitment.”

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“This is a moment that requires serenity, responsibility, and institutional stature; the work of each of you is essential for the justice system to continue functioning normally, efficiently, and with respect for the citizenry,” he emphasized. He also pointed out that “justice does not stop” and that “the Judiciary will continue to fulfill its function firmly, guaranteeing due process, legal certainty and access to justice as fundamental pillars of the Rule of Law.”

Awaiting Parliament’s Ratification

The choice of Vallecillo by the fifteen Supreme Court magistrates must be ratified by Parliament, probably in the first days of April, when the deputies return from the Easter break. The Honduran Parliament provisionally elected Vallecillo to the Supreme Court on Wednesday after removing the Attorney General, Johel Zelaya, who, after a political trial that began last Monday, refused to appear before the plenary session of the Legislative power.

The political trial against Zelaya was for alleged irregularities as a prosecutor, some linked to the primary and internal elections of March 2025, and the general elections of November 30, the latter won by the National Party, led by Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura, who was elected president of the country.

In the case of Obando, who was elected in 2023 for a seven-year term, she decided to resign as president of the Supreme Court of Justice after officially learning on Wednesday that she would also be subject to impeachment. Vallecillo will serve for the time remaining to Obando, who in her resignation letter to Parliament as president of the Supreme Court, said she will continue as a magistrate of that same power. The former attorney general, whose five-year term was due to end in 2028, was replaced on Wednesday by Pablo Reyes, to complete his predecessor’s term.

Some sectors have described the changes in the Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme Court of Justice as a “division” of the powers of the State from the traditional and conservative National party, in power, and Liberal party, the main opposition force, which together have 90 of the 128 deputies in Parliament.

The Liberty and Refoundation party (Libre, left), which governed during the four-year period 2022-2026, with Xiomara Castro as president, was relegated to the second opposition force with 35 deputies.