[HNA] United States backs illegal elections in Honduras

[Tom Loudon]

*United States backs illegal elections in Honduras – Betrays process to 
restore Constitutional order. *
 
November 20, 2009
 
After five months of political chaos in Honduras, repeated attempts to 
reach a negotiated agreement for restoration of Constitutional order 
have failed due to the defiant recalcitrance of the Micheletti coup 
regime and the complicity of the State Department.  Given this impasse 
and the deepening human rights crisis, it is widely recognized that 
conditions for holding free, fair and transparent elections on November 
29^th , just days from now, do not exist. 
 
Recognizing this dilemma, in late October the United States rushed a 
high level State Department delegation to Honduras, bringing Micheletti 
back to the table and brokering the October 30th “National 
Reconciliation Agreement” requiring the reinstatement of President 
Zelaya by November 5^th .   However, in a move paralleling the behavior 
of the Micheletti regime, a few days later, State Department officials 
reversed their position, stating that the elections would be recognized 
by the United States with or without restitution of President Zelaya, 
effectively breaking the accord.
 
In a press release on November 5^th ,  South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint 
<http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=c6542515-c3af-d65a-085d-537015ff8a97>  
who had been using  a procedural tactic to hold up the Obama 
Administration nominations of Arturo Valenzuela and Tom Shannon, 
suddenly announced that he was withdrawing the hold  because he had 
reached an agreement with the Administration relative to the situation 
in Honduras: /“I am happy to report the Obama Administration has finally 
reversed its misguided Honduran policy and will fully recognize the 
November 29^th elections… Secretary Clinton and Assistant Secretary 
Shannon have assured me that the U.S. will recognize the outcome of the 
Honduran elections regardless of whether Manuel Zelaya is reinstated.”  /
 
A subsequent announcement by Senator Lugar 
<http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=320060&&> confirms that in 
fact the United States intends to recognize elections sponsored by the 
coup regime without prior restitution of Zelaya.  Lugar also announced 
that the State Department is funding election observer missions from the 
International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute. 
 
Lugar also used his statement to encourage Brazil in particular to 
consider that “recognition of the election will be the only way for 
Hondurans to look beyond the 5-month-old crisis”.   Just a few days ago, 
the Brazilian foreign minister warned of a “deterioration” of U.S. 
relations with South America 
<http://en.mercopress.com/2009/11/16/brazil-warns-of-deterioration-of-us-relations-with-south-america>.  
Brazil is one of 25 countries in the Rio Group which issued a 
declaration on the same day of DeMint’s statement, declaring that this 
important group of countries will not recognize a government resulting 
from Honduran elections if Zelaya is not previously restored. 
 
Late last week, President Zelaya announced that he will not accept 
restitution at this late date in order to not be used to legitimize 
elections.   In a letter to President Obama renouncing the possibility 
of a return to office in the days prior to the election, Zelaya wrote, 
/“…3500 people detained in one hundred days, over 600 people beaten and 
injured in hospitals, more than a hundred murders and countless numbers 
of people subjected to torture directed against citizens who dare to 
oppose the regime and express their ideas about freedom and justice in 
peaceful demonstrations.  All this converts the November election into 
an anti-democratic exercise under an uncertain state of lawlessness with 
military intimidation for large sections of our people…”/
 
Zelaya’s assessment of the illegitimacy of elections under current 
condition is shared by large majorities in Honduras and the 
international community.  The broad based national resistance movement 
has called for a total boycott of the elections.  Participation in the 
elections has become a kind of ethical litmus test for all candidates.  
 Candidates who run are widely considered to be supporting the coup, 
placing tremendous pressure on candidates to withdrawal.
 
The first candidate to withdraw was Carlos H. Reyes, a well know 
Independent Party candidate for President and leader of the resistance 
movement against the coup.  His popularity has surged as revulsion to 
the violence perpetrated by the coup regime has impacted communities and 
homes throughout the country.  Some strategists believe that had a 
reinstated President Zelaya endorsed Reyes, he could have won the vote, 
but would have lost due to fraud.  After consulting with grassroots 
assemblies in different parts of the country, Reyes announced his 
decision to step down. 
 
Last week, the popular Liberal Party mayor of San Pedro Sula announced 
that he was stepping down as a candidate 
<http://www.elmundo.es/america/2009/11/13/noticias/1258147225.html>, in 
spite of his healthy lead in the polls.  Another 110 mayoral and 55 
candidates for Congress 
<http://bolivarenmexico.blogspot.com/2009/11/renuncian-candidatos-en-honduras.html>  
are reportedly pulling out of the election, and the number continues to 
grow.  Both the leftist UD and the PINU parties are split, with many 
Congressional candidates stepping down, but the party leadership wanting 
to stay in the race.  These small parties have the most to lose, as they 
risk losing the position of their party on the ballot.
 
The UD party has suffered severe criticism for not withdrawing.  Their 
active involvement in the resistance movement morally obligates them to 
withdraw, but some party leaders see this moment as an opportunity to 
win more contests than they normally could.  However, as the pressure 
mounts it seems that withdrawal from the elections by the party is 
imminent, although not yet certain.
 
With just days to go until the elections, tensions are mounting in 
Honduras.  Micheletti has threatened those encouraging abstension with 
lengthy prison terms.  The resistance movement has called a civic strike 
for the entire week prior to elections, widespread protests beginning on 
Friday and a full boycott on Election Day.  This comes in a context of 
heighten levels of state terrorism. 
 
Recently, the military issued a letter to every mayor in the country 
instructing mayor’s offices to compile lists of inhabitants of the 
municipality who have been working against the coup.  The letter asked 
for the list to be compiled immediately and stated that each mayor would 
receive a follow up visit.  Mayors who do not comply with this order 
also risk consequences.  This systematic profiling of the population is 
a blatant violation of human rights and dangerous signal of the levels 
of repression to come.
 
In declaring that it will recognize the coup regime sponsored elections 
on November 29th without prior restitution of Constitutional order, the 
United States has embolden the coup regime, betrayed a lengthy 
negotiation process and endangered the lives of millions of Honduran 
citizens who are committed to democracy, human rights and the rule of 
law who will boycott elections they consider to be illegal. 
 
Tom Loudon
Quixote Center
http://quixote.org/
 
 
 
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