Mass Protests Derail ‘Tone-Deaf’ Privatization Proposals in Honduras

Mass Protests Derail ‘Tone-Deaf’ Privatization Proposals in Honduras
A demonstrator waves a Honduran flag during a protest against the government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Jan. 27, 2019 (AP photo by Fernando Antonio).

Honduras was rocked by mass protests last week against proposed reforms of the health and education sectors that demonstrators feared would lead to mass layoffs of teachers and health professionals. The rallies were mostly peaceful but turned violent in some places after demonstrators clashed with riot police. The Honduran government responded by putting the proposed reforms on ice and calling for dialogue with labor union leaders.

WPR spoke recently with frequent contributor Christine Wade, a Latin America specialist at Washington College, about the deep crisis facing Honduras. Last week’s protests tapped into a powerful undercurrent of frustration with President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s administration, which she says is interested in “selling off anything that’s part of the state and can be sold off.” The following transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

World Politics Review: What would have been the results of these reforms in the health and education sectors, had they become law?

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