6/28/2009

Coup in Honduras


Caracas, Venezuela, 28 June 2009. The democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, has been abducted by the local Air Force from the government Palace at Tegucigalpa early this morning. The kidnapping took place on the very same day Honudurans would vote over a referendum call for a Constituent Assembly. Such political initiative caused opposition at some conservative cadress and the destitution of the Chief of the Honduran Army Romeo Vásquez Velásquez. The ongoing coup has been fueled by military sectors that opposed the attempt to change presidential terms by a Constittutional reform. Zelaya was initially supported by conservatives but then rejected once his government followed a left leaning agenda and established close ties with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and joined ALBA. Pro government supporters of President Manuel Zelaya have been protesting at the presidential palace and confronted military personnel. Power supply has been disrupted. Radio Station are unable to broadcast on the current crisis. Opposition led Honduran channel 11 has been broadcasting cartoons instead of reporting on the coup. The local governmental TV station - Channel 8 -has halted its transmission. Very few private stations are reoporting on the ongoing coup. Only two days ago, OAS had expressed concern over ottempts to ovewrthorow the democratically elected government in Honduras. During a Telesur interview with Hector Zelaya, son of the ousted President, unconfirmed information suggested the Head of State was taken out of the country. It is believed Zelaya is at Costa Rica or Guatemala. All other Minister- except Honduran Foreing Secretay Patricia Rodas- had been abducted too.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine why anyone would want to be in control of Honduras, myself.

Chuck said...

Interesting they seemed to overthrow him because of ties to Chavez

Brooke said...

Yes, interesting.

cube said...

The Honduran president was trying to pull an extra-constitutional referendum for the extension of his presidential term. The Supreme Court said he could not. He went against the Supremem Court. The military sent him packing.

Looks to me like Chavez, Castro, Hillary (BO is concerned) are all against the democratic right of Honduras to exercise their Constitution rights.

I'm not surprised.