We interrupt the death of Michael Jackson to bring you some
slightly more important information.
Need to win an election by hook or by crook? Call Hugo Chavez.
Honduras Defends Its DemocracyThat Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress [...]
Honduras is fighting back by strictly following the constitution. The Honduran Congress met in emergency session yesterday and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward. The Supreme Court later said that the military acted on its orders. It also said that when Mr. Zelaya realized that he was going to be prosecuted for his illegal behavior, he agreed to an offer to resign in exchange for safe passage out of the country. Mr. Zelaya denies it.
Many Hondurans are going to be celebrating Mr. Zelaya's foreign excursion. Street protests against his heavy-handed tactics had already begun last week. On Friday a large number of military reservists took their turn. "We won't go backwards," one sign said. "We want to live in peace, freedom and development." [...]
For Hondurans who still remember military dictatorship, Mr. Zelaya also has another strike against him: He keeps rotten company. Earlier this month he hosted an OAS general assembly and led the effort, along side OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, to bring Cuba back into the supposedly democratic organization. [...]
The struggle against chavismo has never been about left-right politics. It is about defending the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators. This crisis clearly delineates the problem. In failing to come to the aid of checks and balances, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Insulza expose their true colors.
This was not a coup against Zelaya. It was the
prevention of a coup by Zelaya. The military refused to help him improperly change the constitution. The Congress, Attorney General, and the Supreme Court all said the President was acting illegally. Now Congress has constitutionally appointed the next President according to the line of succession, and the next elections will not be disrupted. If anyone was attempting a "coup" it was Mr. Zelaya and his "Ballots by Hugo." Just look at who's supporting him: Chavez, Ortega, Castro, and the Obama administration.
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