Argus Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 (edited) I don't recall a coup before that was sanctioned by the supreme court of the country in question and carried out with the president's own party's support. Manuel Zelaya, it seems, liked being president so much he wanted to continue beyond his constitutional term limits. So Zelaya, no doubt talking to his buddy Chavez in Venezuala, tried to get the constitution changed. Can't do that, said the supreme court. So then he tried to hold a referendum. Can't do that, said the surpeme court. It's against the constitution. So then he tried to hold an unofficial referendum, but apparently the constitution says you can't even TRY to amend the term limit, that even campaigning for that is unconstitutional. So Zelay told the head of the army to do it for him and the head of the army said no. Zelaya fired him and then tried to sneak ballot boxes in from Venezuala to hold his referendum. Not sure why he thought he'd win as undisputed news accounts suggest he's highly unpopular there, but anyway, the congress (including his own party) the supreme court, and the army, decided they'd had enough of him. The army snatched him out of his presidential palace and gave him the bums rush out of the country, in his pajamas, no less. A very odd sort of coup. Now the whole world is demanding he be taken back and made president. But the congress, including his own party, say no. The supreme court says no. The army says no. Apparently most of the people say no too. The world persists. Prsident Obama is as anguished over this coup as Hugo Chavez, Venezuala's president for life, who is making militaristic sounding threats against Honduras if they don't take his buddy back. Obama calls the coup "illegal", though it's unclear under what law he's using the term, and how anyone can declare it illegal when the supreme court of Honduras clearly thinks otherwise. In the meantime, preparations for the previously scheduled elections - which inspired Zelay's fear of losing his job - continue. There'll be another election in six months. Zelaya, I suspect, will not be on the ballot. Edited July 9, 2009 by Argus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Dancer Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 That's the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Dancer Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 In addition, Article 239 specifically states that any president who so much as proposes the permissibility of reelection "shall cease forthwith" in his duties, and Article 4 provides that any "infraction" of the succession rules constitutes treason. The rules are so tight because these are terribly serious issues for Honduras, which lived under decades of military rule. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-...0,1570598.story The coup that wasn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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