As the Honduran election approaches this Sunday, let's be clear about the conditions under which it is taking place. Human rights abuses are rampant, freedom of speech is under attack, and the election process is in the hands of the very people who perpetrated the coup. Clearly, no free and fair election is possible under the repressive thumb of the military coup that has been in place for five months.
While the 23 nations of the Rio Group from Latin America and the Caribbean have condemned the election and announced they will not recognize its outcome, the Obama administration still insists it will recognize the results -- once again isolating the United States from those who are upholding democracy in the hemisphere.
President Obama should join the rest of the world and immediately declare the elections fraudulent and demand the immediate restoration of President Manuel Zelaya, the withdrawal of the Honduran military, and a delay of the election until three months after Zelaya has been full reinstated.
Imagine a "free and fair election" under the conditions in Honduras today (and imagine if this were taking place in the United States):
No free and fair election can take place under these circumstances. Only when the legitimate President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, has been fully restored to office for three months, only when the military has been pushed back into its barracks, and only when civil liberties are completely restored can an orderly transfer of power to a new administration take place. By persuading coup leader Roberto Micheletti to briefly step aside in the week before the election, the U.S. State Department has tried to whitewash the election at the last minute. But that doesn't change the fact that the Honduran military and the oligarchs, who perpetrated the coup and who have dictated the nation's politics for decades, are still brutally repressing the people of Honduras.
The vast majority of Hondurans aren't fooled. After five months of military repression, they know the difference between a fraudulent cover for the continuation of the coup regime, and a truly free and fair election under the rule of law. So does the European Union, the Organization of American States, and the Rio Group. They understand well the dangerous precedent the Honduran coup represents.
President Obama should refuse to recognize the results of the election and bring an end to the embarrassing isolation of the United States from the rest of the world.
Your article fails to mention that several Latin American nations have already recognized the outcome of the elections. You also fail to mention that Mr. Zelaya and the ones before them did not care one bit about human rights. It is sad to see how everyone is now jumping and screaming about human rights, when not a year ago, the majority of the Honduran people were starving to death while Mr. Zelaya was in power. You also fail to mention that Mr. Zelaya is backed by no other than Mr. Chavez, who tried to stage a coup back in the 1990's and who has absolutely NO REGARDS for human rights. And if your yardstick to measure democracy is the OAS, then please explain how is it that Cuba is a recognized member of this pro-democracy organization?
So please, when writing about this topic, make sure you present ALL the facts in your analyzis.
Mr. Zelaya is not the victim here. And his supporters are not saints, in fact they have participated in acts of vandalism, theft, intimidation and violence.
Honduras is sovereign nation. Let them sort this out.
And so, Honduras is now ruled by the 1.5 million most
intelligent and wealth, class warfare in its finest hour.
Pls inform yourself a bit more next time. Viava Honduras! Viva la democracia!
You need to own up to those realities.
It might be added that all of the candidates running were chosen by their respective parties BEFORE the removal of Zelaya. The sames exact canditates (except for Reyes) would be running had Zelaya not been removed.
Honduras has received good grades on its elections, all of them previously overseen by the same Electoral group and with the same support of the military as is currently the case. The people here, as in the U.S., do not fear their military.
If you are going to refer to Lobo and Santos as oligarchy, you have to remember that Zelaya and his top aids are all bloodline politicians and part of the same oligarchy. Zelaya was just going to make it a one party oligarchy. The UD needs to act more like a political party to bring about changes.
You go on to ask for things that not even Zelaya asked for, things that make it so you will feel good about the elections. Most Hondurans, and I expect the polls with show that, are in support of the elections and feel good that they can freely walk down to their voting location on Sunday. Honduras is following its rule of law and the U.S. is in support of that.
Zelaya sneaked his demented self into the embassy of Brazil, where there are no more Brazilian officials, making it a bunker for his terrorist plots to upheld the upcoming elections, via messages to his own followers.
I work and make my money... Im not being REPRESSED......
I sugguest YOU go to Honduras and see for yourself. PEACE OUT
There is a civilian elected government which functions according to the laws and constitution of the country. In full support of the freely elected legislative body, independent Supreme Court.
Get used to it.
Civilain government was in charge during Zelaya.
Civilian government is in charge now.
Military is NOT in charge.
The new President is also a leftist.
New President was appointed by free elected legislature,. NOT military.
New President is supported by Supreme Court, NOT miltary.
Transition was achieved in accordance with the Constitution, NOT the military pressure.
The rest is just empty talk.
sounds like America in 2000 and 2004
and more and more it looks like we voted their sweet talking point in
Why is it after so many decades of promoting dictators & death squads in Latin America can't we find time to at least once actually promote rather than suppress Democracy?
If you think that military juntas which overthrow democratically elected governments and then hold sham elections is ok then you don't believe in the same principles that I do or that this nation was founded on.