The Honduran army has arrested President Manuel Zelaya, who only recently attributed his continuance in office to the unwillingness of the US to back a coup against him:
Mr Zelaya, elected for a non-renewable four-year term in January 2006, wanted a vote to extend his time in office.
The referendum, due on Sunday, had been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court and was also opposed by Congress and members of Mr Zelaya’s own party…
The arrest comes after President Zelaya defied a court order that he should re-instate the chief of the army, Gen Romeo Vasquez.
The president sacked Gen Vasquez late on Wednesday for refusing to help him organise a referendum…
In an interview with Spain’s El Pais newspaper published on Sunday, Mr Zelaya said a planned coup against him had been thwarted after the US refused to back it.
“Everything was in place for the coup and if the US embassy had approved it, it would have happened. But they did not,” Mr Zeleya said.
“I’m only still here in office thanks to the United States.”
Your host acknowledges certain deficits in his understanding of Latin American politics, but since Hugo Chavez condemned the arrest I’m tilting in favor of it.
Update: Commenters at Fausta’s blog note that the Honduran constitution has explicit language endowing congress with constitutional change and sanctions for those advocating the re-election of a president. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, condemns the move.
Absence any evidence to the contrary, that’s as good a reason as any.
Lex’s logic is overwhelming. Use of Chavez as a contrary indicator is ALWAYS a smart bet.
yes, I had been following these developments due to some friends down there. Zelaya had decided, after assuming the Presidency, that he liked the job and was upset that the Honduran Constitution limited him to a single term. Rather than allow democracy to work, he followed the example of his good friend Chavez and attempted to hold a vote to overturn those laws he didn’t care for.
The people of Honduras have suffered too long under the ilk of Zelaya, and were not about to have their hard-won constitution usurped by another petty tyrant. Good for them.
I’m interested to see if a similar situation plays out up here in the next few years.
respects,
*”Bye!”*
It’s a “pick your poison” deal in a lot of the world . . . you can have a ‘left wing’ dictator, or you can have a ‘right wing’ dictator. No surprise that Hillary throws in with Hugo Chavez on this, either. They are of the same philosophical bent and probably studied from the same authors and teachers. President “The One” Obummer could, in an honest moment, probably be heard agreeing with the other two as well. If there was, in the President’s case, some reporter who might not erase the tape upon recording that particular thought.
It seems that Obama has been studying the Iranian president’s bitter clinging to power, and now this Honduran guy, even though he says little critical about them.
Perhaps others should be paying close attention to the tactics of those not taking kindly to thugocracy obstructing the democratic process.
Ballots are good, when legitimately cast, accurately counted, and their results are fairly implemented. With ACORN involved, can free and fair elections be assured?
Chavez condemns. Hillary condemns. Any man with a brain should, therefore, approve.
Hillary is Obama’s mouthpiece on this. God knows what her own convictions are, if she has any.
Also read this excellent article by Mary Anastasia O’Grady of the Wall Street Journal. Wonder what would happen if our executive attempted to gather too much power…nah, that couldn’t happen here, could it?
US coverage of this has been horrible.
The non binding referendum had nothing to do with extending the sitting president’s term…it was about discussing convening a constitutional convention…this wasn’t about the vote…its about Michelletti, who installed himself as president, A. being pissed that he did not get the party nomination for the upcoming election; b. being fearful of the threat the populist coalition being built by the sitting president brought to the two party system, and C. his ability to demonstrate that he controlled te military before the January election, thus effectively making Honduras a dictatorship like Iran. THer are no term limits on senators (which he is), therefore, Michelletti could control the country indefinitely with the president’s position being a puppet.
The coup leaders cut off all electricity and communications to the counbtry to prevent spread of knowledge and have kidnapped cabinet ministers at gun point and taken them out of the country–many are still missing or unaccounted for, as are a number of elected officials whose municipalities held votes anyway.
CItizens are protesting in much bigger numbers than reported across the country and cutting off transportation, there is now fighting within the military. Yes, the legal government is leftest, the coup leaders are more leftest and assumed they would have CHavez’s support…since the Latin AMerican nations had recently signed an aggreement to condemn military coups, Chavez is respecting the treaty that his nation, and HOnduras, signed only a few weeks ago.
There are good people I have worked with who are missing or in danger. Despite that, it is never a good thing when a democratically elected government is overthrown illegally. THe US should take sanctions against the illegallyt self-installed government. I am surprised any of you would be in support.
Incidently, because the kidnapped president was taken through an airport that had a US military installation AND because the US ambassador had their cell phone off during the entire time period of the initial overthrow, many in HOnduras think that the US supported this action.
Honduras has been a democracy for 30 years, any suggestion that the current president was making a power grab is propaganda.