The executive branch of the Honduran government has promoted a referendum that was scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 28, in which the people of Honduras would vote on whether or not Manuel Zelaya would be able to run for a second term as president. Both the National Congress and the Supreme Court reached a conclusion that the referendum was illegal.
The executive branch held a meeting with military officials to determine security procedures for the day of the referendum. In the meeting with the executive branch, the military refused to distribute and monitor ballot boxes for the referendum. President Zelaya then removed his Chief of Armed Forces, General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez. He also accepted the resignation of the Defence Minister, Army Commander, Commander of the Naval Force and Air Force Commander.
According to “Petroleum World” at http://www.petroleumworld.com, the days leading up to Sunday were filled with tension. “Businesses and schools were closed, gas stations and supermarkets full of people looking for supplies, and a military presence on the streets to prevent disturbances. In streets of cities such as Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, there was prevailing tension and anxiety of not knowing what will happen next.” What happened next was extreme. In the early morning of Sunday, June 28, soldiers of the Honduran army acted in a Coup d’état and took Honduras President Manuel Zelaya out his bed and expelled him from the country. He was sent to Costa Rica and members of his Cabinet were arrested.
After these events took place, Belize joined the international community in condemning the Coup d’état that is in progress. The official release from the Government of Belize said, “The Government of Belize is disturbed by the events which occurred in Honduras… Belize condemns the actions of the military against the constitutional and democratically elected President and rejects any attempts to have him replaced as the president of that Republic with any other person… Belize joins the international community in calling for the return of the rule of law and restoration of democracy in Honduras.”
The Organization of American States also issued a press release similarly condemning the coup d’état. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza, said that the organization “will not accept a return to the past in the continent,” and it will not make any concessions to a regime proclaimed following a military coup after the illegal arrest of the constitutional President of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya. The OAS Member States met in Washington on Tuesday, June 30, for a Special General Assembly. Article 19 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter was applied and Honduras was not allowed to participate because of an unconstitutional interruption in democratic order.
The UN General Assembly also met in emergency sessions on the political crisis in New York. “Our immediate priority is to restore full democratic and constitutional order in that country,” said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urging all sides to hold talks. Russia and Canada meanwhile joined a growing list of nations to condemn the coup, and the European Commission called an urgent meeting with Central American ambassadors to consider the future of trade talks. Mexico offered to help with dialogue to try to resolve the political crisis.
Hours after Zelaya’s removal, the National Congress voted in Roberto Michelitti as the country’s new leader, though Zelaya said he was determined to return and “reclaim his post”. On Monday Michelitti began assembling his government and called on all government workers to return to work as normal, after a politically powerful national union of teachers announced an indefinite strike. Shots were heard in the Honduras capital late on Sunday after Micheletti imposed a nationwide 48-hour curfew.
Venezuelan president and regional leftist champion Hugo Chavez said the international community should teach the Honduran government “a lesson” after throwing his weight behind Zelaya at the SICA meeting in Nicaragua on Monday. Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega said leaders were determined to avoid “bloodshed”. In Honduras, Micheletti brushed off international condemnation of the takeover. He said he “had come to the presidency not by a coup d’état but by a completely legal process as set out in our laws.”
The interim leader also warned Chavez his country was ready to “go to war” if there was interference. Defiant interim leader Roberto Micheletti is preparing to govern a tense Honduras as worldwide calls increase for ousted President Manuel Zelaya to return to power. The situation will definitely become more complicated and may turn into an all out disaster on Thursday when President Zelaya is expected to return to Honduras with strong support from the international community. He will be accompanied by a high level delegation including President Rafael Correa of Ecuador, President Christina Fernandez of Argentina, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza and the president of the UN General Assembly Miguel d’ Soto.
From Washington D.C, Hon Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, spoke to Wave Radio’s Dale McDougall on Tuesday. He said, “It is a very difficult situation in Honduras presently. The charter of the OAS directly addresses the measures that should be taken in these types of situation.” He spoke about the relationship between Belize and Honduras, “Anything that happens in Honduras will have an effect on Belize. Many Belizeans, especially the Garinagu community, have family members in Honduras.” He hopes that the situation does not get further out of control.
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