<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<b style="">United States
backs illegal elections in Honduras – Betrays process to restore
Constitutional
order. <o:p></o:p></b>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
November 20, 2009
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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.<span
style=""> </span>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<sup>th</sup>, just days from
now, do
not exist.<span style=""> </span>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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<sup>th</sup>.
<span style=""> </span>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.
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
In <a
href="http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=c6542515-c3af-d65a-085d-537015ff8a97">a
press release on November 5<sup>th</sup>, <span style=""> </span>South
Carolina Senator Jim DeMint</a><span style=""> </span>who had been
using<span style=""> </span>a procedural tactic to hold up the Obama
Administration nominations of Arturo Valenzuela and Tom Shannon,
suddenly
announced that he was withdrawing the hold<span style="">
</span>because he had reached an agreement with the Administration
relative to
the situation in Honduras: <i style="">“I am happy to
report the Obama Administration has finally reversed its misguided
Honduran
policy and will fully recognize the November 29<sup>th</sup> 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.”<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></i>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
A <a href="http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=320060&&">subsequent
announcement by Senator Lugar</a> confirms that in fact the United
States
intends to recognize elections sponsored by the coup regime without
prior
restitution of Zelaya.<span style=""> </span>Lugar also
announced that the State Department is funding election observer
missions from
the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic
Institute.<span style=""> </span>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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”.<span style=""> </span>Just
a few days ago, the Brazilian foreign
minister <a
href="http://en.mercopress.com/2009/11/16/brazil-warns-of-deterioration-of-us-relations-with-south-america">warned
of a “deterioration” of U.S. relations with South America</a>.<span
style=""> </span>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.<span
style=""> </span>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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. <span style=""> </span>In a letter to President
Obama renouncing the possibility of a return to office in the days
prior to the
election, Zelaya wrote, <i style="">“…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.<span
style=""> </span>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…”<o:p></o:p></i>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
Zelaya’s assessment of the illegitimacy of elections
under current condition is shared by large majorities in Honduras and
the
international community. <span style=""> </span>The broad based
national resistance movement has called for a total boycott of the
elections. <span style=""> </span>Participation in the elections has
become a
kind of ethical litmus test for all candidates.<span style="">
</span><span style=""> </span>Candidates who run are widely
considered to be supporting the coup, placing tremendous pressure on
candidates
to withdrawal. <br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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.<span style=""> </span>His
popularity has surged as revulsion to the violence perpetrated by the
coup
regime has impacted communities and homes throughout the country.<span
style=""> </span>Some strategists believe that had a
reinstated President Zelaya endorsed Reyes, he could have won the vote,
but
would have lost due to fraud.<span style=""> </span>After
consulting with grassroots assemblies in different parts of the
country, Reyes
announced his decision to step down.<span style=""> </span>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
Last week, <a
href="http://www.elmundo.es/america/2009/11/13/noticias/1258147225.html">the
popular Liberal Party mayor of San Pedro Sula announced that he was
stepping
down as a candidate</a>, in spite of his healthy lead in the polls. <span
style=""> </span>Another <a
href="http://bolivarenmexico.blogspot.com/2009/11/renuncian-candidatos-en-honduras.html">110
mayoral and 55 candidates for Congress</a><span style="">
</span>are reportedly pulling out of the election, and the number
continues to
grow.<span style=""> </span>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.<span style="">
</span>These small parties have the most to lose, as they risk losing
the
position of their party on the ballot.
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
The UD party has suffered severe criticism for not
withdrawing. <span style=""> </span>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.<span style=""> </span>However, as the pressure
mounts it seems that withdrawal from the elections by the party is
imminent,
although not yet certain.
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
With just days to go until the elections, tensions are
mounting in Honduras.<span style=""> </span>Micheletti has
threatened those encouraging abstension with lengthy prison terms.<span
style=""> </span>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.<span style="">
</span>This comes in a context of heighten levels of state terrorism.<span
style=""> </span>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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.<span style=""> </span>The
letter asked for the list to be compiled
immediately and stated that each mayor would receive a follow up visit.
<span style=""> </span>Mayors who do not comply with this order also
risk consequences. <span style=""> </span>This systematic
profiling of the population is a blatant violation of human rights and
dangerous signal of the levels of repression to come. <br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
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.<span style=""> </span>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
Tom Loudon <br>
Quixote Center <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://quixote.org/">http://quixote.org/</a>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p>
</body>
</html>