Honduras president ousted
Published 9:55 pm Sunday, June 28, 2009
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Soldiers ousted President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday and Congress named a successor, but the leftist, democratically elected leader denounced what he called an illegal coup and vowed to stay in power.
The first military takeover of a Central American government in 16 years drew widespread condemnation from governments in Latin America and the world — including the U.S. — and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a Zelaya ally, vowed to overthrow the country’s apparent new leader.
Zelaya was awakened Sunday by gunfire and detained while still in his pajamas, hours before a constitutional referendum many saw as an attempt by him to stay in power beyond the one-term limit.
An air force plane flew him into forced exile in Costa Rica as armored military vehicles with machine guns rolled through the streets of the Honduran capital and soldiers seized the national palace.
“I want to return to my country,” Zelaya said in Costa Rica. “I am president of Honduras.”
Congress voted to accept what it said was Zelaya’s letter of resignation, with even Zelaya’s former allies turning against him. Congressional leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in to serve until Jan. 27, when Zelaya’s term ends.
Zelaya denied resigning and insisted he would serve out his term, even as the Supreme Court backed the military takeover and said it was a defense of democracy.
He said he would attend a scheduled meeting of Central American presidents in Nicaragua today. He flew there late Sunday on a plane provided by Chavez.
Zelaya called on Honduran soldiers to back him, urged citizens to take to the streets in peaceful protests, and asked Honduran police to protect demonstrators.
Outside of Congress, a group of about 150 people opposed to Zelaya’s ouster stood well back from police lines and shook their fists, chanting “Out with the bourgeoisie!” and “Traitors!”
Micheletti warned against outside interference after Chavez remarked that if Micheletti was appointed president, “We will overthrow him.”
Micheletti announced that Zelaya would be welcome to return to Honduras as a private citizen on one condition: “Without the support of Mr. Hugo Chavez, we would be happy to take him back with open arms,” he said.
Zelaya’s overthrow came hours before polls were to open on a constitutional referendum that he was pushing ahead even after the Supreme Court and the attorney general said it was illegal. The constitution bars changes to some of its clauses, such as the ban on a president serving more than one term, they said.
Coups were common in Central America for four decades reaching back to the 1950s, but Sunday’s ouster was the first military power grab in Latin America since a brief, failed 2002 coup against Chavez. It was the first in Central America since military officials forced President Jorge Serrano of Guatemala to step down in 1993 after he tried to dissolve Congress and suspend the constitution.
