The PLH is identified with the colours red and white, as the flag Francisco Morazán used in most of his military campaigns during time of the Central American Federal Republic.

The country’s liberal and conservative factions were less ideologically distinct than their labels suggest; instead, they were vehicles for elites competing for control over limited state resources.

Early Honduran elections were marked by frequent outbreaks of violence, with defeated factions often resorting to armed conflict.

These struggles hindered economic development, as governmental resources were frequently diverted to fund military campaigns and settle wartime debts​.

The bipartite political system took shape during this period, with both parties backed by foreign interests, particularly the powerful American-owned banana companies that dominated the Honduran economy.

[4][5] The rise of General Tiburcio Carías Andino and his establishment of a civilian dictatorship, colloquially referred to as the "Cariato," marked a significant setback for democratic politics in Honduras.

The Liberal presidential candidate and winner of the 1954 elections, Ramón Villeda Morales, was finally made president in 1957, but his administration ended prematurely due to the 1963 Honduran coup d'état.

[8][9] The PLH won the closely contested 2005 presidential race, but at the moment[update] the PNH has a majority in the National Congress due to an alliance with the Christian Democrats (Democracia Cristiana).