Honduras – A coup d’etat or a Democratic Revolution? | Chocolate City: The Best African American Blog

Honduras – A coup d’etat or a Democratic Revolution?

On Tuesday the UN General Assembly condemned the military coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, saying that the event interrupted the democratic and constitutional order in the Central American nation.

Zelaya was also present at the meeting when the 192-nation assembly body adopted the resolution to condemn Sunday’s coup. The resolution also denied recognition of the newly installed government of President Roberto Micheletti. Zelaya sat in the seats reserved for Honduras’ mission to the United Nations in the assembly.

The resolution recognizes Zelaya as the constitutional president of Honduras and asked that he be allowed to finish the term.

President Obama said the United States will "stand on the side of democracy" and work with other nations and international groups to resolve the matter peacefully. Obama also added, "We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the democratically elected president there," Obama said.

The new government of Roberto Micheletti is defiant. He was named by Congress to serve out the final seven months of Zelaya’s term, vowed to ignore foreign pressure. "We respect everybody and we ask only that they respect us and leave us in peace because the country is headed toward free and transparent general elections in November," Micheletti told HRN radio.

As a young man growing up in Liberia, West Africa, I know from firsthand experience that a coup d’etat is barbaric, undemocratic and in most cases can become a suppressive rule by idiots that come to power against the will of the people.

Unfortunately, in the case of Zelaya and his government, the coup was very necessary. As a matter of fact, some believe that he should have been assassinated. Zelaya’s ouster was legal simply because he violated the constitution of Honduras by try to impose a referendum upon the people of Honduras that was outlawed by the Supreme Court.

Similar to other Latin American leaders, Zelaya was attempting to overrule the constitutional term limit and imposed himself upon the people of Honduras. If any arrangement is made for his return, he should return to serve only his remaining seven months in office.