27-06-2009, 04:31 AM
WHAT HAPPENS IN HONDURAS TODAY WILL HAVE AN IMPORTANT IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY, AND CENTRAL AMERICA
Democratic rule is on the line, a military coup is feared, but tens of thousands of Hondurans rushed to the defense of the President, filling and surrounding the presidential palace. The crisis is a tipping point in a political transformation of the country that has taken shape during Manuel Zelaya's presidency.
Months ago, "Mel", as Hondurans refer to their president, proposed that this Sunday, June 28, a national referendum be held to present Hondurans with the question whether a ballot box (the Cuarta Urna) should be established during the November 29, 2009 national elections in which Hondurans could vote whether or not to convoke a Constituent National Assembly (CNA) to write a new constitution in Honduras. For background info: http://www.rightsaction.org/articles/Copinh_052905.html
The current constitution was written in 1982 in the midst of repression and State terrorism that blanketed Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in the 1980's. Honduras was controlled, at that time, by a US-backed military regime; the United States had 14 military bases in Honduras.
The Honduran Armed Forces initially pledged support to the President and commander in chief, and provide logistical support for Sunday's referendum, to be administered by the National Statistics Institute.
Then, on Tuesday June 23, the Honduran army informed the president they would not support the referendum. The president fired the head of the armed forces, General Romeo Vasquez, and the Minister of Defense resigned.
Fearing for the safety of the President, thousands of Hondurans surrounded the Presidential Palace.
The National Congress is strongly opposed to the referendum, and today met to draft a letter of resignation for the President. The Congress has also called upon the OAS to withdraw the elections observers currently arriving to observe Sunday's referendum, and entertained initiatives to block their entry to the country. Efforts to intimidate the voters include public statements by influential political figures claiming that if voters participate in Sunday's referendum, they could face 10 to 15 years in prison.
Around midday today, June 25, President Zelaya and thousands of civilian supporters left the presidential palace in city buses and headed to the Air Force base and successfully - ! - recovered the ballot boxed needed for Sunday's referendum.
The proposal to draft a new constitution, via the establishing of a CNA, is the culmination of a series of positive measures undertaken during "Mel's" presidency, including: a raise in the minimum wage; measures to re-nationalize energy generation plants and the telephone system; signing a bill that improves labor conditions for teachers; joining the Venezuelan Petrocaribe program which provides soft loans for development initiatives via petroleum sales; delaying recognition of the new US ambassador after the Bolivian government implicated the US embassy in supporting fascist paramilitary groups destabilizing Bolivia, and others.
In the measure that popular support has grown, with a reported 80% of population in support, opposition has grown in the economically and politically powerful minority sectors. The president has been blocked from the press, and important events have gone virtually unreported.
ON-THE-SPOT UPDATES FROM COPINH (IN SPANISH)
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 4:44 PM
To: copinhonduras@yahoo.es
Subject: URGENTE reporte Honduras
ESTAMOS TRANSMITIENDO EN VIVO DESDE LA CAPITAL ...
PARA ESCUCHAR CLICK AQUI: http://208.43. 218.127:8070/
Reporte 13:00hrs
Hay desplazamiento de contingentes populares hacia la capital de la Rep?blica, a?n no se sabe el nivel de respuesta que tendr? el llamado del presidente Manuel "Mel" Zelaya, a la movilizaci?n popular en defensa del r?gimen constitucional, a?n ahora el General Romeo V?zquez Vel?zquez ex jefe del estado mayor del ej?rcito reclama ser reinstalado en el puesto, y hay militares en las calles, esta es una prueba de fuerza, se miden potencias y capacidades para dar el siguiente paso, anexo, env?o una entrevista que le hice por la madrugada a la ministra de trabajo del gobierno constitucional, Mayra Mej?a, espero que sea de su inter?s y la puedan reenviar o reproducir porque hay que difundir lo que ac? sucede. Seguimos en contacto. Ha comenzado el discruso de Mel... tic, tac...
From: copinh honduras [mailto:copinh@copinh.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:10 PM
To: copinhonduras@yahoo.es
Subject: HONDURAS: reporte 4 pm
REPORTE 4PM
La coyuntura se mueve, el pueblo ha salido a la calle y junto con el presidente de la Rep?blica han viajado desde la casa presidencial en buses, camiones de pasajeros urbanos (?l, viaj? en el estibo llamando al pueblo que se suma a la caravana, porque la Corte orden? que se confiscaran las urnas), en los audios encontrar?n la cr?nica de esta caravana ins?lita, pues de pronto, el ej?rcito estaba en las calles, intimidando, y el pueblo entr? al cuartel de la fuerza ?erea a sacar las urnas para la consulta del domingo por la determinaci?n de exigir ahora el establecimiento de una asamblea nacional constituyente... el pueblo, en medio de un lodazal, dentro del recinto de la fuerza armada saca ahora las urnas...van cinco camiones que salen... una convicci?n se comparte, se puede cambiar, a pesar de embarrarse de lodo, hay que ensuciarse un poco para limpiarle la cara al pa?s... s?. sin duda... el mundo al rev?s y desde ac?, se ve menos mal
que antes...
* * *
FUNDS ARE NEEDED to support Honduran community organizations that are defending their democracy and rule of law. Make check payable to "Rights Action" and mail to:
* UNITED STATES: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
* CANADA: 552 - 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm
Share this information with media, that you know of, and concerned organizations in Canada and the USA.
More soon . To get on/ off Rights Action's email list: http://www.rightsaction.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=3/
Honduras nears Chaos as Military Units Circle Presidential Palace
The Supreme Court has just ordered the return of the Top General in
Honduras just hours after President Zelaya ordered him dismissed.
General Vasquez, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed last
night by President Manuel Zelaya after refusing to order troops to
assist in the illegal ballot due to be held Sunday here in Honduras.
The Congress and Military are supporting the Constitution, but
President Zelaya is unrelenting. At this time, Zelaya is planning to
install his new Top General, ignoring the Supreme Court, the Congress
and over 100,000 peaceful protesters that have taken to the streets
around the country.
Further, the Electoral Council has also determined that the Sunday's
Ballot is illegal and the Council has ordered the Prosecutor's office
to confiscate all ballots.
Currently, these ballots are in the possession of the Military and
until the ballots are handed over to the Prosecutor, the outcome will
remain unclear.
It is widely speculated that a "Yes" vote would initiate the
movement of Honduras from a Constitutional Democracy to a Socialist
State under the strong influence of Hugo Chavez. With the President of
the Congress stating that the new Constitution planned by Zelaya has
been written in Venezuela.
Yesterday in Venezuela elements of the Honduran, Cuban, Nicaraguan
and Bolivian Military marched under the Banner of the ALBA Union. A
union which Honduras entered into solely through a Presidential Decree
by Zelaya.
During his speech to the troops, Hugo Chavez reiterated, "This is an
armed revolution" and to "Summon our people to the great battle for the
full independence of our America, only the union will make us free".
UPDATE 2:50pm June 25th 2009
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in a press conferance stated, "We
always knew that the Constitution denies the rights to Honduran
society," in front of hundreds of his supporters at the Presidential
Palace in Tegucigalpa and the Honduran president has asked his
followers to join him in a "Mission", but did not say what, or where.
It has been verified that Venezuelan flaged aircraft have landed at Air Force facilities aparently with the election materials.
UPDATE 2 3:55pm
It is now being reported that Manuel Zelaya and a "Mob" are arriving at the Airforce Base to collect the voting materials.
"I spoke with the commander of the Air Force, Prince Luis Javier and
he will deliver the electoral material," said President Manuel Zelaya
Rosales. The president said that the action is peaceful, calm but
defending their rights.
The situation in Honduras is rapidly coming to a head.
UPDATE 4:30pm
It is now being reported that elements of the 5th Infantry division
are being deployed around the Presidental Palace and the Toncont?n
Airport in the Capitol Teguicgalpa. Comanders are giving orders to long
lines of soldiers.
************************************************************************************************
Fred is right on to point out the danger that the ALBA Alliance also the target of this plot. It occurs just after an ALBA summit that welcomed more countries, most importantly Ecuador into the Alliance (the new name is Alliance in place of Alternativa, interesting in itsellf). I am trying to get a reading on whether the Salvadoran military are part of this.
La Prensa (Tegucigalpa) is using its web site to suport the coup, and to mobilize mass support "in defense or the national constitution." They are trying to comparre a large demonstration in the central Plaza to the mass Iranian demonstrations. There was also a "white" demonstration" before the Venezuelan consulate in Tegucigalpa accusing Chavez of being behind Sunday's scheduled referendum that has so traumatized the military high command and the leadfng bourgreois sectors. (thy dress in white, worship gingolandia, hate any plebian trends).
Curiously CNN is ignoring this development and also Iran and Iraq to devote almost nonstop coverage of the MJ and SF deaths in Los Angeles. More circus.
others as Honduras is a member nation of ALBA. When a coup threaten to
overthrow Morales, Chavez said Venezuela would not keep its arms
folded, the same position goes for the current situation
*********************************************************************************************************************
June 25, 2009
Honduras Leader Refuses to Restore Military Chief
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 11:46 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/06/...nted=print
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- The Honduran president vowed Thursday to ignore a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to reinstate the military chief he fired, escalating a showdown that has threatened the leftist leader's hold on power.
President Manuel Zelaya's attempt to hold a referendum Sunday on changing the constitution has pitted him against the country's top courts, the attorney general, military leaders and even his own party, all of whom argue the vote is illegal.
But Zelaya has galvanized the support of labor leaders, farmers and civic organizations who hope constitutional reforms will give them a greater voice in a conservative country where 70 percent of the population is poor.
The crisis quickly ballooned when Zelaya fired Gen. Romeo Vasquez as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff late Wednesday for refusing to support the referendum, which is intended to measure popular support for possible constitutional changes. Zelaya has not said what he wants, but critics accuse him of trying to extend presidential terms before his ends in January, like his ally Hugo Chavez did in Venezuela.
The Supreme court ordered Vasquez reinstated Thursday and warned Zelaya would face penal consequences if he does not respect the ruling.
''We will not obey the Supreme Court,'' Zelaya told more than 2,000 cheering supporters gathered in front of the presidential offices. ''The court, which only imparts justice for the powerful, the rich and the bankers, only causes problems for democracy.''
The top court, Congress and the attorney general say the vote is illegal because it would violate constitutional clauses barring some changes.
Late Thursday, lawmakers voted to open an investigation of Zelaya and determine whether his refusal to obey the Supreme Court order threatens the rule of law, said Ramon Velasquez of the opposition Christian Democratic Party.
''Once we conclude the investigation, we may will take more drastic measures, but they will be to save the republic,'' Velasquez said.
The president's dismissal of Vasquez prompted the chiefs of the army, navy and air force to resign. The president himself announced Wednesday night that Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana had resigned.
Vasquez said he could not support a referendum that the courts had declared illegal, but he ruled out the possibility of a coup.
''We are prudent and we accept the decision of the president, whom we respect and who has the right to dismiss whom he wants,'' Vasquez said.
The Organization of American States called an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the crisis.
The president's nonbinding referendum asks voters if they want a further, formal election on whether to call an assembly to write a new constitution.
Zelaya, who is close to Chavez and the Castro brothers in Cuba, has argued that Honduras' social problems are rooted in the 27-year-old constitution. Critics say Zelaya, like Chavez and other Latin American leaders, wants to expand presidential powers and remove limits on re-election.
Venezuela's socialist president offered Zelaya his full support. ''We're willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the Honduran people's will and sovereignty is respected,'' Chavez said during his ''Alo, Presidente!'' program.
Zelaya, a wealthy landowner grappling with rising food prices and a sharp spike in drug violence, is currently barred from seeking re-election when his four-year term ends in January.
''What you see is the growing delegitimizing of a president by a larger and growing group of leading elites, including the military,'' said Manuel Orozco, a political analyst with the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank.
But Zelaya has tapped into discontent among civil organization who see their chance to have greater influence in Honduran politics, Orozco said. And it will be hard to prevent the referendum from happening unless the military steps in directly, he added.
''This fragmentation of the political circles of power have given an opportunity to leverage the demands that civil society has, such as more freedom of expression in a country where the media is owned by a few families,'' Orozco said. ''I think he has the upper hand right now. The army is uncertain as to whether they should prevent the referendum.''
U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, a leftist Nicaraguan priest and former foreign minister, ''clearly and strongly condemns the attempted coup d'etat that is currently unfolding against the democratically elected government of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras,'' his spokesman said.
Earlier Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered police to remove all electoral material stored an air force base at the international airport in the capital, Tegucigalpa. After his speech, Zelaya and his supporters headed to the military base and took ballots and other materials out in military trucks and headed to an undisclosed location.
On Wednesday, the 128-seat unicameral legislature also voted unanimously to ask a group of international election observers to leave, arguing their presence legitimizes an illegal vote.
--------
Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
________________________________________________________________________
Honduras heads toward crisis over referendum
By FREDDY CUEVAS – 6 hours ago
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — With backing from Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, Honduras' leftist president pushed ahead Friday with a referendum on revamping the constitution, risking his rule in a standoff against Congress, the Supreme Court and the military.
Government supporters began distributing ballots at 15,000 voting stations across the country, defying a Supreme Court ruling declaring Sunday's referendum illegal and ordering all election material confiscated. President Manuel Zelaya had led thousands of supporters to recover the material from an air force warehouse before it could be confiscated.
Under Honduran law, soldiers are normally responsible for distributing ballots ahead of elections, but the military leadership has opposed the vote. Zelaya has fired the military chief for refusing to support the referendum and vows to ignore a Supreme Court ruling ordering him reinstated.
Zelaya has the vocal support of his fellow leftist Latin American leaders as he seeks to follow in the path of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in transforming his country through a constitutional overhaul. The Venezuelan leader and former Cuban President Fidel Castro have warned a coup is under way in Honduras and pledged their support for Zelaya.
Zelaya says the constitution protects a system of government that excludes the poor, but has not specified what changes he will seek.
His opponents fear he will try to extend his rule by lifting a constitutional ban presidential re-election.
The showdown between the president and virtually all other circles of power in Honduras plunged the impoverished Central America country into a political crisis with no solution in sight. Congress — led by members of Zelaya's own Liberal Party — has opened an investigation into his mental stability and could declare him unfit to govern.
Thousands of Zelaya opponents marched through the capital of Tegucigalpa to demand his ouster Friday, chanting "he must leave now!" Many shops, gasoline stations and some schools were closed for fear of disturbances.
In Washington, the Organization of American States held a session to discuss the situation in Honduras. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "restraint by all concerned in order to prevent any further escalation" of the crisis, said U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq.
Zelaya lashed out at Congress early Friday for considering his ouster.
"Congress cannot investigate me, much less remove me or stage a technical coup against me because I am honest, I'm a free president and nobody scares me," Zelaya said in his two-hour speech, at one point bursting — Chavez-like — into song.
"But we have to forgive them. Glory to God! We have to forgive, and I know who to forgive because the people are my support and my best ally in this political process," he said.
He referred to Congressional President Roberto Micheletti — a member of his own party — as "a pathetic, second-class congressman who got that job because of me."
Micheletti, who by law would take over the presidency if Zelaya were ousted, retorted, "We should not have to suffer the aspirations of a disturbed man who wants to hold onto to power."
Sunday's referendum has no legal effect: it merely asks people if they want to have a later vote on whether to convoke an assembly to rewrite the constitution.
The Supreme Court, Congress and the attorney general have all said the referendum he is sponsoring is illegal because the constitution says some of its clauses cannot be changed.
The constitution, approved in 1982 as Honduras was throwing off two decades of nearly uninterrupted military rule, states that any politician who promotes presidential re-election will be barred from public service for 10 years.
The showdown over Sunday's referendum has all but overshadowed the election campaign, which pits Porfirio Lobo of the opposition National Party against Liberal Party candidate Elvin Santos, who resigned as vice president last year complaining that Zelaya had been trying to sideline him in the government.
Zelaya, whose four-year term ends in January, has seen his approval ratings fall over the past year as the country grapples with soaring food prices and a spike in drug violence that has saddled Honduras with one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America.
His campaign for changing the constitution has energized his support base of labor groups, farmers and civil organizations who have long felt marginalized in a country where a wealthy elite controls the media and much of politics, said Manuel Orozco, a political analyst with the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.
But "the bottom line is that whether he has some level of popular support or not, this is democracy and he has to follow the rule of law," Orozco said.
Democratic rule is on the line, a military coup is feared, but tens of thousands of Hondurans rushed to the defense of the President, filling and surrounding the presidential palace. The crisis is a tipping point in a political transformation of the country that has taken shape during Manuel Zelaya's presidency.
Months ago, "Mel", as Hondurans refer to their president, proposed that this Sunday, June 28, a national referendum be held to present Hondurans with the question whether a ballot box (the Cuarta Urna) should be established during the November 29, 2009 national elections in which Hondurans could vote whether or not to convoke a Constituent National Assembly (CNA) to write a new constitution in Honduras. For background info: http://www.rightsaction.org/articles/Copinh_052905.html
The current constitution was written in 1982 in the midst of repression and State terrorism that blanketed Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in the 1980's. Honduras was controlled, at that time, by a US-backed military regime; the United States had 14 military bases in Honduras.
The Honduran Armed Forces initially pledged support to the President and commander in chief, and provide logistical support for Sunday's referendum, to be administered by the National Statistics Institute.
Then, on Tuesday June 23, the Honduran army informed the president they would not support the referendum. The president fired the head of the armed forces, General Romeo Vasquez, and the Minister of Defense resigned.
Fearing for the safety of the President, thousands of Hondurans surrounded the Presidential Palace.
The National Congress is strongly opposed to the referendum, and today met to draft a letter of resignation for the President. The Congress has also called upon the OAS to withdraw the elections observers currently arriving to observe Sunday's referendum, and entertained initiatives to block their entry to the country. Efforts to intimidate the voters include public statements by influential political figures claiming that if voters participate in Sunday's referendum, they could face 10 to 15 years in prison.
Around midday today, June 25, President Zelaya and thousands of civilian supporters left the presidential palace in city buses and headed to the Air Force base and successfully - ! - recovered the ballot boxed needed for Sunday's referendum.
The proposal to draft a new constitution, via the establishing of a CNA, is the culmination of a series of positive measures undertaken during "Mel's" presidency, including: a raise in the minimum wage; measures to re-nationalize energy generation plants and the telephone system; signing a bill that improves labor conditions for teachers; joining the Venezuelan Petrocaribe program which provides soft loans for development initiatives via petroleum sales; delaying recognition of the new US ambassador after the Bolivian government implicated the US embassy in supporting fascist paramilitary groups destabilizing Bolivia, and others.
In the measure that popular support has grown, with a reported 80% of population in support, opposition has grown in the economically and politically powerful minority sectors. The president has been blocked from the press, and important events have gone virtually unreported.
ON-THE-SPOT UPDATES FROM COPINH (IN SPANISH)
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 4:44 PM
To: copinhonduras@yahoo.es
Subject: URGENTE reporte Honduras
ESTAMOS TRANSMITIENDO EN VIVO DESDE LA CAPITAL ...
PARA ESCUCHAR CLICK AQUI: http://208.43. 218.127:8070/
Reporte 13:00hrs
Hay desplazamiento de contingentes populares hacia la capital de la Rep?blica, a?n no se sabe el nivel de respuesta que tendr? el llamado del presidente Manuel "Mel" Zelaya, a la movilizaci?n popular en defensa del r?gimen constitucional, a?n ahora el General Romeo V?zquez Vel?zquez ex jefe del estado mayor del ej?rcito reclama ser reinstalado en el puesto, y hay militares en las calles, esta es una prueba de fuerza, se miden potencias y capacidades para dar el siguiente paso, anexo, env?o una entrevista que le hice por la madrugada a la ministra de trabajo del gobierno constitucional, Mayra Mej?a, espero que sea de su inter?s y la puedan reenviar o reproducir porque hay que difundir lo que ac? sucede. Seguimos en contacto. Ha comenzado el discruso de Mel... tic, tac...
From: copinh honduras [mailto:copinh@copinh.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:10 PM
To: copinhonduras@yahoo.es
Subject: HONDURAS: reporte 4 pm
REPORTE 4PM
La coyuntura se mueve, el pueblo ha salido a la calle y junto con el presidente de la Rep?blica han viajado desde la casa presidencial en buses, camiones de pasajeros urbanos (?l, viaj? en el estibo llamando al pueblo que se suma a la caravana, porque la Corte orden? que se confiscaran las urnas), en los audios encontrar?n la cr?nica de esta caravana ins?lita, pues de pronto, el ej?rcito estaba en las calles, intimidando, y el pueblo entr? al cuartel de la fuerza ?erea a sacar las urnas para la consulta del domingo por la determinaci?n de exigir ahora el establecimiento de una asamblea nacional constituyente... el pueblo, en medio de un lodazal, dentro del recinto de la fuerza armada saca ahora las urnas...van cinco camiones que salen... una convicci?n se comparte, se puede cambiar, a pesar de embarrarse de lodo, hay que ensuciarse un poco para limpiarle la cara al pa?s... s?. sin duda... el mundo al rev?s y desde ac?, se ve menos mal
que antes...
* * *
FUNDS ARE NEEDED to support Honduran community organizations that are defending their democracy and rule of law. Make check payable to "Rights Action" and mail to:
* UNITED STATES: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
* CANADA: 552 - 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm
Share this information with media, that you know of, and concerned organizations in Canada and the USA.
More soon . To get on/ off Rights Action's email list: http://www.rightsaction.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=3/
Honduras nears Chaos as Military Units Circle Presidential Palace
The Supreme Court has just ordered the return of the Top General in
Honduras just hours after President Zelaya ordered him dismissed.
General Vasquez, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed last
night by President Manuel Zelaya after refusing to order troops to
assist in the illegal ballot due to be held Sunday here in Honduras.
The Congress and Military are supporting the Constitution, but
President Zelaya is unrelenting. At this time, Zelaya is planning to
install his new Top General, ignoring the Supreme Court, the Congress
and over 100,000 peaceful protesters that have taken to the streets
around the country.
Further, the Electoral Council has also determined that the Sunday's
Ballot is illegal and the Council has ordered the Prosecutor's office
to confiscate all ballots.
Currently, these ballots are in the possession of the Military and
until the ballots are handed over to the Prosecutor, the outcome will
remain unclear.
It is widely speculated that a "Yes" vote would initiate the
movement of Honduras from a Constitutional Democracy to a Socialist
State under the strong influence of Hugo Chavez. With the President of
the Congress stating that the new Constitution planned by Zelaya has
been written in Venezuela.
Yesterday in Venezuela elements of the Honduran, Cuban, Nicaraguan
and Bolivian Military marched under the Banner of the ALBA Union. A
union which Honduras entered into solely through a Presidential Decree
by Zelaya.
During his speech to the troops, Hugo Chavez reiterated, "This is an
armed revolution" and to "Summon our people to the great battle for the
full independence of our America, only the union will make us free".
UPDATE 2:50pm June 25th 2009
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in a press conferance stated, "We
always knew that the Constitution denies the rights to Honduran
society," in front of hundreds of his supporters at the Presidential
Palace in Tegucigalpa and the Honduran president has asked his
followers to join him in a "Mission", but did not say what, or where.
It has been verified that Venezuelan flaged aircraft have landed at Air Force facilities aparently with the election materials.
UPDATE 2 3:55pm
It is now being reported that Manuel Zelaya and a "Mob" are arriving at the Airforce Base to collect the voting materials.
"I spoke with the commander of the Air Force, Prince Luis Javier and
he will deliver the electoral material," said President Manuel Zelaya
Rosales. The president said that the action is peaceful, calm but
defending their rights.
The situation in Honduras is rapidly coming to a head.
UPDATE 4:30pm
It is now being reported that elements of the 5th Infantry division
are being deployed around the Presidental Palace and the Toncont?n
Airport in the Capitol Teguicgalpa. Comanders are giving orders to long
lines of soldiers.
************************************************************************************************
Fred is right on to point out the danger that the ALBA Alliance also the target of this plot. It occurs just after an ALBA summit that welcomed more countries, most importantly Ecuador into the Alliance (the new name is Alliance in place of Alternativa, interesting in itsellf). I am trying to get a reading on whether the Salvadoran military are part of this.
La Prensa (Tegucigalpa) is using its web site to suport the coup, and to mobilize mass support "in defense or the national constitution." They are trying to comparre a large demonstration in the central Plaza to the mass Iranian demonstrations. There was also a "white" demonstration" before the Venezuelan consulate in Tegucigalpa accusing Chavez of being behind Sunday's scheduled referendum that has so traumatized the military high command and the leadfng bourgreois sectors. (thy dress in white, worship gingolandia, hate any plebian trends).
Curiously CNN is ignoring this development and also Iran and Iraq to devote almost nonstop coverage of the MJ and SF deaths in Los Angeles. More circus.
> This is far from over ... the US military has a strong presence in Honduras; the Honduran high command are largely an US-trained officer corps. If successful, the coup plot will destabilize both El Salvador and Nicaragua.
And lets not forget that it will inevitably draw in Venezuela andothers as Honduras is a member nation of ALBA. When a coup threaten to
overthrow Morales, Chavez said Venezuela would not keep its arms
folded, the same position goes for the current situation
*********************************************************************************************************************
June 25, 2009
Honduras Leader Refuses to Restore Military Chief
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 11:46 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/06/...nted=print
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- The Honduran president vowed Thursday to ignore a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to reinstate the military chief he fired, escalating a showdown that has threatened the leftist leader's hold on power.
President Manuel Zelaya's attempt to hold a referendum Sunday on changing the constitution has pitted him against the country's top courts, the attorney general, military leaders and even his own party, all of whom argue the vote is illegal.
But Zelaya has galvanized the support of labor leaders, farmers and civic organizations who hope constitutional reforms will give them a greater voice in a conservative country where 70 percent of the population is poor.
The crisis quickly ballooned when Zelaya fired Gen. Romeo Vasquez as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff late Wednesday for refusing to support the referendum, which is intended to measure popular support for possible constitutional changes. Zelaya has not said what he wants, but critics accuse him of trying to extend presidential terms before his ends in January, like his ally Hugo Chavez did in Venezuela.
The Supreme court ordered Vasquez reinstated Thursday and warned Zelaya would face penal consequences if he does not respect the ruling.
''We will not obey the Supreme Court,'' Zelaya told more than 2,000 cheering supporters gathered in front of the presidential offices. ''The court, which only imparts justice for the powerful, the rich and the bankers, only causes problems for democracy.''
The top court, Congress and the attorney general say the vote is illegal because it would violate constitutional clauses barring some changes.
Late Thursday, lawmakers voted to open an investigation of Zelaya and determine whether his refusal to obey the Supreme Court order threatens the rule of law, said Ramon Velasquez of the opposition Christian Democratic Party.
''Once we conclude the investigation, we may will take more drastic measures, but they will be to save the republic,'' Velasquez said.
The president's dismissal of Vasquez prompted the chiefs of the army, navy and air force to resign. The president himself announced Wednesday night that Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana had resigned.
Vasquez said he could not support a referendum that the courts had declared illegal, but he ruled out the possibility of a coup.
''We are prudent and we accept the decision of the president, whom we respect and who has the right to dismiss whom he wants,'' Vasquez said.
The Organization of American States called an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the crisis.
The president's nonbinding referendum asks voters if they want a further, formal election on whether to call an assembly to write a new constitution.
Zelaya, who is close to Chavez and the Castro brothers in Cuba, has argued that Honduras' social problems are rooted in the 27-year-old constitution. Critics say Zelaya, like Chavez and other Latin American leaders, wants to expand presidential powers and remove limits on re-election.
Venezuela's socialist president offered Zelaya his full support. ''We're willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the Honduran people's will and sovereignty is respected,'' Chavez said during his ''Alo, Presidente!'' program.
Zelaya, a wealthy landowner grappling with rising food prices and a sharp spike in drug violence, is currently barred from seeking re-election when his four-year term ends in January.
''What you see is the growing delegitimizing of a president by a larger and growing group of leading elites, including the military,'' said Manuel Orozco, a political analyst with the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank.
But Zelaya has tapped into discontent among civil organization who see their chance to have greater influence in Honduran politics, Orozco said. And it will be hard to prevent the referendum from happening unless the military steps in directly, he added.
''This fragmentation of the political circles of power have given an opportunity to leverage the demands that civil society has, such as more freedom of expression in a country where the media is owned by a few families,'' Orozco said. ''I think he has the upper hand right now. The army is uncertain as to whether they should prevent the referendum.''
U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, a leftist Nicaraguan priest and former foreign minister, ''clearly and strongly condemns the attempted coup d'etat that is currently unfolding against the democratically elected government of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras,'' his spokesman said.
Earlier Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered police to remove all electoral material stored an air force base at the international airport in the capital, Tegucigalpa. After his speech, Zelaya and his supporters headed to the military base and took ballots and other materials out in military trucks and headed to an undisclosed location.
On Wednesday, the 128-seat unicameral legislature also voted unanimously to ask a group of international election observers to leave, arguing their presence legitimizes an illegal vote.
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Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
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Honduras heads toward crisis over referendum
By FREDDY CUEVAS – 6 hours ago
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — With backing from Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, Honduras' leftist president pushed ahead Friday with a referendum on revamping the constitution, risking his rule in a standoff against Congress, the Supreme Court and the military.
Government supporters began distributing ballots at 15,000 voting stations across the country, defying a Supreme Court ruling declaring Sunday's referendum illegal and ordering all election material confiscated. President Manuel Zelaya had led thousands of supporters to recover the material from an air force warehouse before it could be confiscated.
Under Honduran law, soldiers are normally responsible for distributing ballots ahead of elections, but the military leadership has opposed the vote. Zelaya has fired the military chief for refusing to support the referendum and vows to ignore a Supreme Court ruling ordering him reinstated.
Zelaya has the vocal support of his fellow leftist Latin American leaders as he seeks to follow in the path of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in transforming his country through a constitutional overhaul. The Venezuelan leader and former Cuban President Fidel Castro have warned a coup is under way in Honduras and pledged their support for Zelaya.
Zelaya says the constitution protects a system of government that excludes the poor, but has not specified what changes he will seek.
His opponents fear he will try to extend his rule by lifting a constitutional ban presidential re-election.
The showdown between the president and virtually all other circles of power in Honduras plunged the impoverished Central America country into a political crisis with no solution in sight. Congress — led by members of Zelaya's own Liberal Party — has opened an investigation into his mental stability and could declare him unfit to govern.
Thousands of Zelaya opponents marched through the capital of Tegucigalpa to demand his ouster Friday, chanting "he must leave now!" Many shops, gasoline stations and some schools were closed for fear of disturbances.
In Washington, the Organization of American States held a session to discuss the situation in Honduras. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "restraint by all concerned in order to prevent any further escalation" of the crisis, said U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq.
Zelaya lashed out at Congress early Friday for considering his ouster.
"Congress cannot investigate me, much less remove me or stage a technical coup against me because I am honest, I'm a free president and nobody scares me," Zelaya said in his two-hour speech, at one point bursting — Chavez-like — into song.
"But we have to forgive them. Glory to God! We have to forgive, and I know who to forgive because the people are my support and my best ally in this political process," he said.
He referred to Congressional President Roberto Micheletti — a member of his own party — as "a pathetic, second-class congressman who got that job because of me."
Micheletti, who by law would take over the presidency if Zelaya were ousted, retorted, "We should not have to suffer the aspirations of a disturbed man who wants to hold onto to power."
Sunday's referendum has no legal effect: it merely asks people if they want to have a later vote on whether to convoke an assembly to rewrite the constitution.
The Supreme Court, Congress and the attorney general have all said the referendum he is sponsoring is illegal because the constitution says some of its clauses cannot be changed.
The constitution, approved in 1982 as Honduras was throwing off two decades of nearly uninterrupted military rule, states that any politician who promotes presidential re-election will be barred from public service for 10 years.
The showdown over Sunday's referendum has all but overshadowed the election campaign, which pits Porfirio Lobo of the opposition National Party against Liberal Party candidate Elvin Santos, who resigned as vice president last year complaining that Zelaya had been trying to sideline him in the government.
Zelaya, whose four-year term ends in January, has seen his approval ratings fall over the past year as the country grapples with soaring food prices and a spike in drug violence that has saddled Honduras with one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America.
His campaign for changing the constitution has energized his support base of labor groups, farmers and civil organizations who have long felt marginalized in a country where a wealthy elite controls the media and much of politics, said Manuel Orozco, a political analyst with the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.
But "the bottom line is that whether he has some level of popular support or not, this is democracy and he has to follow the rule of law," Orozco said.
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
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