[Marxism] CRISIS IN HONDURAS: Democracy in the Balance

["Darrel Furlotte" <darrel.furlotte@xxxxxxxxx>]

 Phil C. has forwarded a number of important articles about the situation in 
Honduras.
********************************************************************************************************

CRISIS IN HONDURAS: Democracy in the Balance
The Honduran Armed Forces are in the street, as thousands of citizens mobilize 
peacefully to defend democracy and the presidency.  Repression is feared.
BELOW:  an update of the crisis, by Rights Action, and two on-the-spot updates 
(en espanol) by COPINH.  COPINH is a long-time partner of Rights Action, and a 
powerful community based organization involved in these pro-democracy and 
reform efforts.  A Rights Action activist-staffer is in Honduras working with 
COPINH.
Please re-distribute this info all around.  To get on/ off Rights Action's 
email list: http://www.rightsaction.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=3/
WHAT TO DO: see below.
* * * 
WHAT HAPPENS IN HONDURAS TODAY WILL HAVE AN IMPORTANT IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF 
THE COUNTRY, AND CENTRAL AMERICA
Democratic rule is on the line, a military coup is feared, but tens of 
thousands of Hondurans rushed to the defense of the President, filling and 
surrounding the presidential palace.  The crisis is a tipping point in a 
political transformation of the country that has taken shape during Manuel 
Zelaya's presidency.
Months ago, "Mel", as Hondurans refer to their president, proposed that this 
Sunday, June 28, a national referendum be held to present Hondurans with the 
question whether a ballot box (the Cuarta Urna) should be established during 
the November 29, 2009 national elections in which Hondurans could vote whether 
or not to convoke a Constituent National Assembly (CNA) to write a new 
constitution in Honduras.  For background info: 
http://www.rightsaction.org/articles/Copinh_052905.html
The current constitution was written in 1982 in the midst of repression and 
State terrorism that blanketed Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in the 
1980's.  Honduras was controlled, at that time, by a US-backed military regime; 
the United States had 14 military bases in Honduras.
The Honduran Armed Forces initially pledged support to the President and 
commander in chief, and provide logistical support for Sunday's referendum, to 
be administered by the National Statistics Institute.
Then, on Tuesday June 23, the Honduran army informed the president they would 
not support the referendum.  The president fired the head of the armed forces, 
General Romeo Vasquez, and the Minister of Defense resigned.
Fearing for the safety of the President, 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 the President.  The Congress has also called 
upon the OAS to withdraw the elections observers currently arriving to observe 
Sunday's referendum, and entertained initiatives to block their entry to the 
country.  Efforts to intimidate the voters include public statements by 
influential political figures claiming that if voters participate in Sunday's 
referendum, they could face 10 to 15 years in prison.
Around midday today, June 25, President Zelaya and thousands of civilian 
supporters left the presidential palace in city buses and headed to the Air 
Force base and successfully - ! - recovered the ballot boxed needed for 
Sunday's referendum.
The proposal to draft a new constitution, via the establishing of a CNA, is the 
culmination of a series of positive measures undertaken during "Mel's" 
presidency, including: a raise in the minimum wage; measures to re-nationalize 
energy generation plants and the telephone system; signing a bill that improves 
labor conditions for teachers; joining the Venezuelan Petrocaribe program which 
provides soft loans for development initiatives via petroleum sales; delaying 
recognition of the new US ambassador after the Bolivian government implicated 
the US embassy in supporting fascist paramilitary groups destabilizing Bolivia, 
and others.
In the measure that popular support has grown, with a reported 80% of 
population in support, opposition has grown in the economically and politically 
powerful minority sectors.  The president has been blocked from the press, and 
important events have gone virtually unreported.
ON-THE-SPOT UPDATES FROM COPINH (IN SPANISH)
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 4:44 PM
To: copinhonduras@xxxxxxxx
Subject: URGENTE reporte Honduras
ESTAMOS TRANSMITIENDO EN VIVO DESDE LA CAPITAL ...
PARA ESCUCHAR CLICK AQUI: http://208.43. 218.127:8070/ 
 
Reporte 13:00hrs
Hay desplazamiento de contingentes populares hacia la capital de la República, 
aún no se sabe el nivel de respuesta que tendrá el llamado del presidente 
Manuel "Mel" Zelaya, a la movilización popular en defensa del régimen 
constitucional, aún ahora el General Romeo Vázquez Velázquez ex jefe del estado 
mayor del ejército reclama ser reinstalado en el puesto, y hay militares en las 
calles, esta es una prueba de fuerza, se miden potencias y capacidades para dar 
el siguiente paso, anexo, envío una entrevista que le hice por la madrugada a 
la ministra de trabajo del gobierno constitucional, Mayra Mejía, espero que sea 
de su interés y la puedan reenviar o reproducir porque hay que difundir lo que 
acá sucede. Seguimos en contacto.   Ha comenzado el discruso de Mel... tic, 
tac...
From: copinh honduras [mailto:copinh@xxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:10 PM
To: copinhonduras@xxxxxxxx
Subject: HONDURAS: reporte 4 pm
REPORTE 4PM
La coyuntura se mueve, el pueblo ha salido a la calle y junto con el presidente 
de la República han viajado desde la casa presidencial en buses, camiones de 
pasajeros urbanos (él, viajó en el estibo llamando al pueblo que se suma a la 
caravana, porque la Corte ordenó que se confiscaran las urnas), en los audios 
encontrarán la crónica de esta caravana insólita, pues de pronto, el ejército 
estaba en las calles, intimidando, y el pueblo entró al cuartel de la fuerza 
áerea a sacar las urnas para la consulta del domingo por la determinación de 
exigir ahora el establecimiento de una asamblea nacional constituyente... el 
pueblo, en medio de un lodazal, dentro del recinto de la fuerza armada saca 
ahora las urnas...van cinco camiones que salen... una convicción se comparte, 
se puede cambiar, a pesar de embarrarse de lodo, hay que ensuciarse un poco 
para limpiarle la cara al país... sí. sin duda... el mundo al revés y desde 
acá, se ve menos mal
 que antes...

* * * 
FUNDS ARE NEEDED to support Honduran community organizations that are defending 
their democracy and rule of law.  Make check payable to "Rights Action" and 
mail to:
*  UNITED STATES:  Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
*  CANADA:  552 - 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm
Share this information with media, that you know of, and concerned 
organizations in Canada and the USA.
More soon . To get on/ off Rights Action's email list: 
http://www.rightsaction.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=3/




Honduras nears Chaos as Military Units Circle Presidential Palace
  


The Supreme Court has just ordered the return of the Top General in
Honduras just hours after President Zelaya ordered him dismissed.

General Vasquez, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed last
night  by President Manuel Zelaya after refusing to order troops to
assist in the illegal ballot due to be held Sunday here in Honduras.

The Congress and Military are supporting the Constitution, but
President Zelaya is unrelenting. At this time, Zelaya is planning to
install his new Top General, ignoring the Supreme Court, the Congress
and over 100,000 peaceful protesters thathave taken to the streets
around the country.

Further, the Electoral Council has also determined that the Sunday's
Ballot is illegal and the Council has ordered the Prosecutor's office
to confiscate all ballots.

Currently, these ballots are in the possession of the Military and
until the ballots are handed over to the Prosecutor, the outcome will
remain unclear.

It is widely speculated that a "Yes" vote would initiate the
movement of Honduras from a Constitutional Democracy to a Socialist
State under the strong influence of Hugo Chavez. With the President of
the Congress stating that the new Constitution planned by Zelaya has
been written in Venezuela.

Yesterday in Venezuela elements of the Honduran, Cuban, Nicaraguan
and Bolivian Military marched under the Banner of the ALBA Union. A
union which Honduras entered into soley through a Presidential Decree
by Zelaya.

During his speech to the troops, Hugo Chavez reiterated, "This is an
armed revolution" and to "Summon our people to the great battle for the
full independence of our America, only the union will make us free".

UPDATE 2:50pm June 25th 2009

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in a press conferance stated, "We
always knew that the Constitution denies the rights to Honduran
society," in front of hundreds of his supporters at the Presidential
Palace in Tegucigalpa and the Honduran president has asked his
followers to join him in a "Mission", but did not say what, or where. 

It has been verified that Venezuelan flaged aircraft have landed at Air Force 
facilities aparently with the election materials.

UPDATE 2 3:55pm

It is now being reported that Manuel Zelaya and a "Mob" are arriving at the 
Airforce Base to collect the voting materials.

"I spoke with the commander of the Air Force, Prince Luis Javier and
he will deliver the electoral material," said President Manuel Zelaya
Rosales. The president said that the action is peaceful, calm but
defending their rights.

The situation in Honduras is rapidly coming to a head.

UPDATE 4:30pm

It is now being reported that elements of the 5th Infantry division
are being deployed around the Presidental Palace and the Toncontín
Airport in the Capitol Teguicgalpa. Comanders are giving orders to long
lines of soldiers.

************************************************************************************************

Fred is right on to point out the danger that the ALBA Alliance also the target 
of this plot. It occurs just after an ALBA summit that welcomed more countries, 
most importantly Ecuador into the Alliance (the new name is Alliance in place 
of Alternativa, interesting in itsellf). I am trying to get a reading on 
whether the Salvadoran military are part of this.

La Prensa (Tegucigalpa) is using its web site to suport the coup, and to 
mobilize mass support "in defense or the national constitution." They are 
trying to comparre a large demonstration in the central Plaza to the mass 
Iranian demonstrations. There was also a "white" demonstration" before the 
Venezuelan consulate in Tegucigalpa accusing Chavez of being behind Sunday's 
scheduled referendum that has so traumatized the military high command and the 
leadfng bourgreois sectors.  (thy dress in white, worship gingolandia, hate any 
plebian  trends).

Curiously CNN is ignoring this development and also Iran and Iraq to devote 
almost nonstop coverage of the MJ and SF deaths in Los Angeles. More circus.

Phil

--- On Thu, 6/25/09, Fred Fuentes <fred.fuentes@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: Fred Fuentes <fred.fuentes@xxxxxxxxx>

On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 9:41 PM, PSC<fcstuartca@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> This is far from over ... the US military has a strong presence in Honduras; 
> the Honduran high command are largely an US-trained officer corps. If 
> successful, the coup plot will destabilize both El Salvador and Nicaragua.
> Phil

And lets not forget that it will inevitably draw in Venezuela and
others as Honduras is a member nation of ALBA. When a coup threaten to
overthrow Morales, Chavez said Venezuela would not keep its arms
folded, the same position goes for the current situation
Fred

*********************************************************************************************************************

June 25, 2009

Honduras Leader Refuses to Restore Military Chief 
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 11:46 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/06/25/world/AP-LT-Honduras-Constitution.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- The Honduran president vowed Thursday to ignore a 
Supreme Court ruling ordering him to reinstate the military chief he fired, 
escalating a showdown that has threatened the leftist leader's hold on power.
President Manuel Zelaya's attempt to hold a referendum Sunday on changing the 
constitution has pitted him against the country's top courts, the attorney 
general, military leaders and even his own party, all of whom argue the vote is 
illegal.
But Zelaya has galvanized the support of labor leaders, farmers and civic 
organizations who hope constitutional reforms will give them a greater voice in 
a conservative country where 70 percent of the population is poor.
The crisis quickly ballooned when Zelaya fired Gen. Romeo Vasquez as head of 
the Joint Chiefs of Staff late Wednesday for refusing to support the 
referendum, which is intended to measure popular support for possible 
constitutional changes. Zelaya has not said what he wants, but critics accuse 
him of trying to extend presidential terms before his ends in January, like his 
ally Hugo Chavez did in Venezuela.
The Supreme court ordered Vasquez reinstated Thursday and warned Zelaya would 
face penal consequences if he does not respect the ruling.
''We will not obey the Supreme Court,'' Zelaya told more than 2,000 cheering 
supporters gathered in front of the presidential offices. ''The court, which 
only imparts justice for the powerful, the rich and the bankers, only causes 
problems for democracy.''
The top court, Congress and the attorney general say the vote is illegal 
because it would violate constitutional clauses barring some changes.
Late Thursday, lawmakers voted to open an investigation of Zelaya and determine 
whether his refusal to obey the Supreme Court order threatens the rule of law, 
said Ramon Velasquez of the opposition Christian Democratic Party.
''Once we conclude the investigation, we may will take more drastic measures, 
but they will be to save the republic,'' Velasquez said.
The president's dismissal of Vasquez prompted the chiefs of the army, navy and 
air force to resign. The president himself announced Wednesday night that 
Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana had resigned.
Vasquez said he could not support a referendum that the courts had declared 
illegal, but he ruled out the possibility of a coup.
''We are prudent and we accept the decision of the president, whom we respect 
and who has the right to dismiss whom he wants,'' Vasquez said.
The Organization of American States called an emergency meeting Friday to 
discuss the crisis.
The president's nonbinding referendum asks voters if they want a further, 
formal election on whether to call an assembly to write a new constitution.
Zelaya, who is close to Chavez and the Castro brothers in Cuba, has argued that 
Honduras' social problems are rooted in the 27-year-old constitution. Critics 
say Zelaya, like Chavez and other Latin American leaders, wants to expand 
presidential powers and remove limits on re-election.
Venezuela's socialist president offered Zelaya his full support. ''We're 
willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the Honduran people's will and 
sovereignty is respected,'' Chavez said during his ''Alo, Presidente!'' program.
Zelaya, a wealthy landowner grappling with rising food prices and a sharp spike 
in drug violence, is currently barred from seeking re-election when his 
four-year term ends in January.
''What you see is the growing delegitimizing of a president by a larger and 
growing group of leading elites, including the military,'' said Manuel Orozco, 
a political analyst with the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think 
tank.
But Zelaya has tapped into discontent among civil organization who see their 
chance to have greater influence in Honduran politics, Orozco said. And it will 
be hard to prevent the referendum from happening unless the military steps in 
directly, he added.
''This fragmentation of the political circles of power have given an 
opportunity to leverage the demands that civil society has, such as more 
freedom of expression in a country where the media is owned by a few 
families,'' Orozco said. ''I think he has the upper hand right now. The army is 
uncertain as to whether they should prevent the referendum.''
U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, a leftist Nicaraguan 
priest and former foreign minister, ''clearly and strongly condemns the 
attempted coup d'etat that is currently unfolding against the democratically 
elected government of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras,'' his spokesman said.
Earlier Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered police to remove all electoral 
material stored an air force base at the international airport in the capital, 
Tegucigalpa. After his speech, Zelaya and his supporters headed to the military 
base and took ballots and other materials out in military trucks and headed to 
an undisclosed location.
On Wednesday, the 128-seat unicameral legislature also voted unanimously to ask 
a group of international election observers to leave, arguing their presence 
legitimizes an illegal vote.
--------
Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico 
City and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report. 


 


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