United
States Backs Illegal Elections in Honduras, Betraying Process to
Restore Constitutional Order
Tuesday 24 November 2009
by: Tom Loudon, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
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 Roberto
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, 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 30 "National Reconciliation
Agreement" requiring the reinstatement of President Manuel
Zelaya by November 5. 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, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint,
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 elections. Secretary Clinton and Assistant Secretary Shannon
have assured me that the US will recognize the outcome of the Honduran
elections regardless of whether Manuel Zelaya is reinstated."
A subsequent announcement by Senator Richard Lugar 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 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-known
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, in spite of his healthy
lead in the polls. Another 110 mayoral and 55 candidates for Congress
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 abstention
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 mayors' 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 29 without prior restitution of constitutional order,
the United States has emboldened 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 and who will boycott elections they consider to be illegal.
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