Technically a multi-party system, with five parties, the political system of Honduras operates more as a two-party system with the Liberal Party of Honduras (PLH) and the conservative National Party of Honduras (PNH) dominating the political field. Since free elections were established by the 1982 Constitution, all presidents have been members of either the PLH or the PNH.
The government consists of three main branches: the executive branch, lead by the chief of state and head of government, current president Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales (better known as Manuel Zelaya); the legislative branch, run by the unicameral National Congress of Honduras; and the judicial branch, composed of nine Supreme Court Judges.
In the highly contested 2006 election, Zelaya became the fifth PLH president of Honduras. During his first year as president, Zelaya’s leadership style caused several members of his cabinet to quit and, in a move that closely resembled past actions of Venezuelan president and ally Hugo Chavez, Zelaya forced all TV and radio stations in Honduras to broadcast government propaganda for two hours a day. Zelaya’s continual relationship with anti-U.S. leftist leaders such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Bolivia’s Evo Morales has weakened the country's relationship with the United States.