Reporter Sara Miller Llana talks with CSMonitor.com's Pat Murphy about the military ouster of Honduran president Manuel Zelaya and how the citizens are reacting to the constitutional crisis there.
Reporter Sara Miller Llana
A supporter of Honduras' interim President Roberto Micheletti holds a poster during a demonstration in front of the local United Nations office in Tegucigalpa July 1, 2009. The Honduran interim government defied international pressure on Wednesday and vowed there was "no chance at all" of Zelaya returning to office.
(Henry Romero/Reuters)Photos (1 of 1)
Both Honduran presidents remain defiant
International pressure mounts as the OAS chief is expected in Tegulcigalpa today for talks to resolve the leadership crisis.
By Sara Miller Llana | Staff writer 07.02.09
Tegucigalpa, Honduras – Remittances are falling, exports are dropping, and thousands of jobs have been lost: this coffee- and banana-exporting nation is hardly in a position to play geopolitical hardball.
But even as ambassadors have been recalled, international aid has been suspended, and leaders worldwide condemn Sunday’s ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, the new interim government here is refusing to step back.
“We have done nothing outside the Constitution of the republic,” Roberto Micheletti, who was sworn in as interim president of Honduras, told a group of foreign correspondents Wednesday.
The Organization of American States (OAS) has given him until Saturday to step aside before Honduras is suspended from the group. The OAS secretary-general, José Miguel Insulza, is expected to arrive here today for talks, and private discussions are reportedly under way with members of Congress and other Honduran officials to find a compromise.
The crisis was sparked by Mr. Zelaya¹s attempt to move toward eliminating term limits for presidents, even as the Congress and members of his own party rejected the move and the Supreme Court declared it illegal. After the military arrested him Sunday, the nation swore in a new president. But Zelaya could, for example, be allowed back to Honduras in exchange for promises that coup leaders will not be prosecuted.
For now the two sides are digging in, at least publicly, with coup supporters defiantly saying that Zelaya’s return means his arrest, and Zelaya, backed almost unanimously around the globe, saying he expects to return as head of state any day.
Gladys Otero, a leader in a teachers’ union in Tegucigalpa, says supporters will stay on the streets until Zelaya is returned to power. “After more than 30 years of democracy in this country, we cannot let the military take down an elected president,” Ms. Otero says. “He needs to return here to restore constitutional order, and we will stay here until he does.”
The confrontation was expected to come to a head Thursday, when Zelaya had planned to return to Honduras – a plan that coup leaders said would result in his arrest. The Supreme Court had declared that a nonbinding resolution he called for last Sunday to explore the possibilities of calling a constituent assembly was illegal.
As they scramble to find a diplomatic solution, the world continues to put pressure on Honduras’s interim government. The OAS ultimatum came on the heels of condemnation from the United Nations General Assembly. The Pentagon said it had suspended all military activities. The Inter-American Development Bank said no new loans would be made, and the World Bank also announced it would withhold funding.
Olban Valladares, a former congressman, says they will not be swayed by hostile world opinion and action. “Zelaya was not going to back down. He never listened to anyone,” says Mr. Valladares. “It hurts me. I am sad to see any president get kicked out, but it had to be done.”
For now, Honduran residents say the looming isolation of their country is a necessary reality. Walter Archila, a taxi driver in Tegucigalpa, says that repercussions from countries cutting off diplomatic and trade ties are real. “But either way we would have been isolated,” he says. “If Zelaya had stayed, we would be surrounded only by [Venezuelan President Hugo] Chávez and Cuba.”
Mr. Micheletti said Wednesday that he was “open to dialogue” with Zelaya, but says that negotiating his return to the presidency is outside the realm of possibility. He maintains that removing Zelaya was not a coup, and that the world’s cold shoulder is compensated by support at home. “I have the company of the population [in Honduras],” he says.
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2. Salvador | 07.02.09
I wish the UN, AOS, Obamanation, Democrats, socialist, communist, leftist countrys will reason and be honest to see the wish of the Hondurian people. “They do not wish to be another Cuba or Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia or Ecuador.They wish a free democracy. Why boycott them now? just because is a small poor Country? What about Iran, no body dare say anything… UN, AOS, Spain, etc, etc….think about it…
3. Bob Marshall | 07.02.09
I am a US Citizen who has lived in Honduras for 9 years. Under the Presidency of Mel Zelaya the security of the country has so deteriorated that I returned with my family to the states in May of this year. That is after my home was broken into and my wife beaten. As Mr Zelaya moved closer to Hugo Chavez and rejected the rule of law the people through their elected representitived revolted. This was and is the right way to go. You can not judge their actions based upon our stable system of government. They will have elections in November as scheduled and elect a new president. Mel will never return under international pressure without being arrested.
4. williedee | 07.02.09
Pres Zelaya had turned a former US ally into a left wing clone of Venz’s Chavez. He had eliminated freedom of the press, and was taking the final steps toward becoming dictator–that of eliminating term limits–when the pro democracy public had finally had enough. Now why would the USA still support this thug??
5. Leopoldo | 07.02.09
Hello
I was leaving Honduras the day before the congress ordered the military to remove him from office. I had been there filming for a resort project.
I am going to get a wee bit political here.
When I was in Honduras I spoke with quite a few locals about the developing situation. They, to a person, all said he (the president) had done very little in terms of being constructive for 3 years and had seemed to be spending a great deal of time becoming chums with Chavez in Venezuela.
Honduras has only single 4 year presidential term limits as stated in an irrevocable part of their constitution, unless so agreed by something like a 2/3 majority vote by their congress. The Honduran president was trying to get/use the military to organize a referendum to extend his term limit even though the congress of Honduras had said in was unconstitutional and illegal.
The president had during the previous three years been also trying get the Honduran Military to be loyal only to him by giving them all raises, additional equipment and better accommodations. I am told he seemed to be trying to “buy” thier loyalty. He then fired the head of the military recently for not backing himm up and supporting his unconstitutional and illegal referendum. He had miscalculated and had thought he had “bought” the military. The Congress told the president that he had to reinstate the Head of the Military because he had fired him without legal cause and it was a wrongful dismissal.
It was the Congress of Honduras who ordered the military to arrest and then deport the president to Costa Rica. I don’t think it was the smartest move but it did serve its purpose. It may have been better to just charge him with treason or subversion of the government.
It was not a “Military D’état” or even an overthrow of the government. Why does the world press keep playing it that way? Why is Chavez so eager to help get that president back in power? Why are they being given a deadline for reinstatement of their unpopular and self serving president by the same members of the Organization of American States who want to admit the Dictatorship of Cuba into it’s ranks?
I think this all stinks and the world press needs to do more homework rather than allow itself to be spoon fed lies.
Having said that I hope you are and continue to be well.
Sincerely
Leo
6. Zach | 07.02.09
Man, the world is so stupid and if Obama was smart he would be siding with the govt. of Honduras that kicked Zelaya out. Have we forgotten the constitutional principle of checks and balances? Zelaya was trampling their constitution under his foot. All he wants to be is a dictator like Chavez. I hope that Honduras can withstand the pressure and keep Zelaya out of office. Screw the rest of the world.
7. andrew Hirsch | 07.02.09
It’s a shame that some honest people of Honduras are trying to prevent a another leftist socialist Chavez type dictator, and the rest of the worlds governments are giving them the cold shoulder. Shame on the UN, shame on the OAS and most of all shame on OBAMAS government for being such a jellyfish.
8. Bob | 07.02.09
If a United States president moved to unilaterally ignore the constitution to push forth his own agenda, people would be having a cow. I fail to see where Honduras has acted improperly…they used their military to defend their constitution, which is what most military people in this world take an oath to do. If you allow something like this to go unchecked, the result is anarchy or another Chavez style thug in the world
The hypocrisy of the world’s governments and the dangerousness of leftists to freedom is mind-boggling.
9. eric | 07.02.09
If it was so legal, why was he removed from the country and not just from office? (impeachment) and if there is no such procedure in the constitution of Honduras then it should be changed. I disagree with eliminating term limits, but put it to a vote. Chavez had a constitutional referendum and it was turned down. He accepted the results. The Honduran government needs to be adult about this. Secret meetings and military action are not democratic.
10. Munoz Moran | 07.02.09
I’m amazed at how this and other news reports fail to mention the thousands demonstrating throught the country in favor of the interim government. It is truly the vast majority of the population in favor of recent events except for a disgruntled few.
11. Lynn Teague | 07.02.09
Your article correctly states that world opinion is against the current government of Honduras, but fails to mention that the vast majority of Hondurans do not want Mel Zelaya back. If the world community forces his return, it would be against the wishes of the Honduran people. The media has shown countless footage of the few hundred Mel supporters, but ignores the footage of the tens of thousands of Hondurans that have come out in support of the new government.
As a resident of Honduras, I resent the int’l media’s contempt for our wishes as a nation and people.
12. Sandra | 07.02.09
Thank God that one nation has the insight to get rid of a President that is breaking the founding laws of that nation. Zeleya was warned by both their Congress and their Supreme Court that his actions to try to change their Constitution were illegal and not wanted. He should have been arrested and tried for treason instead of just kicked out of their country.
The US should learn from this and do the same to the man that is pretending to be President without any right to be there. Not to mention the politicians that voted to bankrupt the US and are planning to tax the life out of every citizen.
13. Nathan | 07.02.09
A majority of the world in taking the wrong side in this fight. The exiled president was breaking the law, ignoring his supreme court, ignoring his congress, even ignoring his own president. So, the Supreme Court issued a legal order for his removal, which was enforced by the military. This president’s biggest supporters are Communist leaders and Unions, which are historically communist. If you want to read a letter from someone who is in the country and has worked there in a humanitarian position for 25+ years, go to helphondurasnow.com
14. Omar Morales | 07.02.09
This was not normal coup,the international community is playing politics with the lives of Hondurian citizens.
The military was following judicial orders when they ousted Mr. Zelaya, All goverment institutions are functioning normally. The military is not in control of the country.
At some point the world will know the truth. Mr. Zelaya ignored the supreme court, ignored the congress, and ingnored the constitution of Honduras. He fired those that would not follow his ilegal orders. He even headed a mob to reclaim legaly confiscated materials by the court.
This is how this Mr. Zelaya operated, the rule of law was not his concern, he was the president and thought he was above the law. With strong backing and financing from his mentor Hugo Chavez he was usurping the laws of the constitution for his own personal gain. Ultimately the goal was to change our democratic country into a socialist regime.
After seeing that Mr. Zelaya would simply ignore the laws and the Judicial orders imposed on him, the decision was made to take him out of power and instill an interim president (President Michelti was second in line to the presidency of Honduras) until the general elections can be held this November.
Also, As the worlds bodies rally behind Mr. Zelaya, he has little or no support in Honduras! The courts are against him, the congress is against him, and the military is against him. his only support comes from a minority of the people of Honduras. Tens of thousand of people have peacefully marched in every major city in support of the new government, while only a handfull of demonstrations with supporters numbering in the hundreds are for Zelaya (Curiously enough pro Zelaya demonstrations are the ones you see in the news because of their violant tendencies wich make for good ratings)
Hopefully at some point the world will learn the truth.
15. Zoe | 07.02.09
Correction to the “After the military arrested him Sunday” ex-president Zelaya was NEVER arrested by the military. He was exile in a very humane way out of our country. The entire world has only heard his side, as I can already tell by reading this newspaper and most of the media. Am very glad this gentleman is out our government, we already have enough problems and the least we need is a Socialist no good government like Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Cuba; were the only people that benefits are those who hold the power. God Bless Honduras and its brave people, its constitution, the Senate, the Jurisdiction and now our new Government leaders.
Zoe
16. Tom Newcomb | 07.02.09
When ‘President Tacho Somoza’ was in power elections were far from legit. Tacho won all his elections. The Somoza family had been in power since the US supervised election back in the 30’s. Origially there were several clauses in the Nicaraguan Constitution, however Somoza found ways to nullify them. Close to the same thing is happening with Zelay. Perhaps from influence by Chavez, but still an attempt to illegally change the Honduran constitution. My godson called me from Tegucigalpa last night. He and a lot of others have lost their jobs, are worried about their future but think the military removal of Zelaya was a good thing.
It is time for OAS to analyse what is really going on, and support the new administration instead. Sometimes it takes a revolution of sorts to get things going. Seems to me we are about to celebrate one on Saturday.
17. richard fisher | 07.02.09
I grew up in Honduras. Mr. Zelaya violated the constitution of Honduras.
The proscribed penalty for what he illegally attempted to inflict on
his country is immediate removal from office.
This was no coup!
To portray it as such does a great disservice to Honduras and all other law abiding democracies.
The range of views printed by the Christian Science Monitor regarding the removal of Honduran president Mr. Zelaya seem an admirable exception to the blunders and bluster of most world leaders and news organs.
The courage and grace of so many Hondurans who withstand such tremendous world pressure makes me very proud.
Richard Fisher
18. AntonioSosa | 07.02.09
By siding with Zelaya and against the rule of law and the human rights of Hondurans, the corrupt UN and OAS demonstrate again that, rather than defending human rights, they support dictators who trample on those rights. The world in general and the Americas in particular would benefit from the closing of both pernicious organizations. As a bonus, we would all save money and their fancy buildings could be put to better use!
To further empower and enrich itself, the UN helps promote evil schemes, such as Obama’s global warming/cap and trade Ponzy scheme, which will kill the U.S. economy. And the OAS under Insulza has been helping Castro and Chavez enslave Latin Americans.
19. Les Berg | 07.02.09
I wish to commend CSMONITOR for this report which the MSM has refused to share with the world! I do,in fact, believe the Honduran Government was following the rule of law and representing their citizens constitutionally.
Thank you CSMONITOR!
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1. Rick | 07.02.09
“But Zelaya could, for example, be allowed back to Honduras in exchange for promises that coup leaders will not be prosecuted.”
The leaders cannot be prosecuted because they did nothing illegal. The media need to quit callling it a coup. The Congress, Supreme Court, and Military were all following the constitution. Zelaya was not.