Honduras Military Kicks Out President

[Papewaio]

So the Judicial arm ordered the Military to uphold the constitution?

If so its not another Fiji, its an arrest.

[CountArach]

So the Judicial arm ordered the Military to uphold the constitution?

If so its not another Fiji, its an arrest.

But then the military branch announced its own President. That to me does not sound even close to an arrest - that to me sounds like a coup from within the government.

[CountArach]

You may not like the source, but you'll just have to deal with that. If these things are true then I don't see how someone could support this coup:

Months ago, Zelaya proposed that on June 28, a national referendum be held to present Hondurans with the question as to whether, during the November 29 national elections, Hondurans could vote on whether to call a constituent assembly to write a new constitution.

The current constitution was written in 1982 in the middle of the repression and state terrorism that blanketed Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala during the 1980s. Honduras was controlled by a US-backed military regime; the US had 14 military bases in Honduras.

The Honduran Armed Forces initially pledged to support Zelaya and provide logistical support for the June 28 poll, to be administered by the National Statistics Institute.

Then, on June 23, the Honduran army told the president they would not support the referendum. The president fired the head of the armed forces, General Romeo Vasquez, and the defence minister resigned.

Fearing for the president’s safety, 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 Zelaya. The Congress has also called on the OAS to withdraw its elections observers for the referendum, and has entertained initiatives to block their entry to the country.

[Crazed Rabbit]

You may not like the source, but you'll just have to deal with that. If these things are true then I don't see how someone could support this coup:
[indent]Months ago, Zelaya proposed that on June 28, a national referendum be held to present Hondurans with the question as to whether, during the November 29 national elections, Hondurans could vote on whether to call a constituent assembly to write a new constitution.

The current constitution was written in 1982 in the middle of the repression and state terrorism that blanketed Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala during the 1980s. Honduras was controlled by a US-backed military regime; the US had 14 military bases in Honduras.

Hmm. Not only do I not like the source, but they seem to get basic history wrong:
Honduras got rid of its military rule in 1981 (under pressure from the US, according to one article) and had free elections. So it was not under the control of a military regime in 1982, or since 1981.

Considering that, and also that the article is from a place with che guevera in the banner, and 'Venezuelan Solidarity' on the side, along with 'Socialist Alliance' and 'Socialist Youth Organization', I'm gonna call BS on it and demand a better source.

CR

[Ice]

But then the military branch announced its own President. That to me does not sound even close to an arrest - that to me sounds like a coup from within the government.

Military Branch?

Later, Honduras's Congress formally removed Mr. Zelaya from the presidency and named congressional leader Roberto Micheletti as his successor until the end of Mr. Zelaya's term in January. Mr. Micheletti and others said they were the defenders, not opponents, of democratic rule.

Sounds a bit different to me.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124619401378065339.html

[KukriKhan]

So the Judicial arm ordered the Military to uphold the constitution?

If so its not another Fiji, its an arrest.

Yeah. From some reports it sounds like the SC ordered the military to do it's constitutional duty. And now comes word that their congress has selected an interim Pres. Though ugly, it sounds legit.

The bothersome bit is Zelaya's bid to hold a national referendum/constitutional convention (that would be their 16th), which might accurately reflect the will of its citizens, vs the current set-up.

But their current constituion (Summary Here) seems to specifically prohibit moves by any official to extend their terms beyond "one" (see specifically, near the bottom of that linked page, the info on Title VII).

Meanwhile, saber-rattling by Chavez automatically makes me suspicious.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Kukri's link says the constitution was drafted while the military was still ruling (from 1980-early 1982), but was written by elected people, who represented the two major political parties. The president elected in 1981 was from one of those parties.

So I'm still not buyin' CA's link.

And Chavez makes me suspicious; this was the same fellow who congratulated Imnadinnerjacket on his 'election victory' in Iran.

CR

[Reverend Joe]

Imnadinnerjacket

Ahmadinejad.

I don't think the man should have remained in office either. Pushing for an extension of his term is suspicious. But all the Congress and Armed Forces had to do was stop the referendum and ensure that Zelaya left office at the proper time. If anything, this will allow a Zelaya protege to ride to power on the popularity of the deposed president, which is only going to increase because of his arrest/coup.

[HoreTore]

Ahmadinejad.

I've never understood why that name should be hard to write, after all it's written exactly like we pronounce it...