Honduran Coup: Legit or Not?

[Inquartata]

OK...from what I read today, he planned the conference, or whatever it was, and the country's Supreme Court told him that is was illegal. He said that he intended to ignore the ruling and go ahead anyway. That sounds like at least two illegal acts to me.

Not that that warrants a coup IMO, but given the history of South America it shouldn't have surprised anyone, least of all Zelaya.

Practically speaking, everything might have gone better had the Army just shot him. Then the change of government would have been an irreversible fait accompli, and we wouldn't be seeing this "I shall return!" melodrama. There would be no one for the OAS and UN to defend...

[Sins of the Fleche]

OK...from what I read today, he planned the conference, or whatever it was, and the country's Supreme Court told him that is was illegal. He said that he intended to ignore the ruling and go ahead anyway. That sounds like at least two illegal acts to me.

Not that that warrants a coup IMO, but given the history of South America it shouldn't have surprised anyone, least of all Zelaya.

Practically speaking, everything might have gone better had the Army just shot him. Then the change of government would have been an irreversible fait accompli, and we wouldn't be seeing this "I shall return!" melodrama. There would be no one for the OAS and UN to defend...

While that it is true, and it would certainly resolve all the mess currently going on in Latin America, it would put a bit of a damper on the Honduran military's claims of the coup restoring constitutional democracy and playing the moral high ground card.

But I like your train of thought.

[Inquartata]

Well, he might have "tried to escape", you know.

[Bayou Bum]

Article 239 of the Honduran Constitution insists that any president proposing the permissibility of re-election (as Zelaya did) “shall cease forthwith” in his office; and that Article 4 defines such an “infraction” as treason.

Not that anyone cares about the truth!

[erik_blank]

Interesting about the Honduran Constitutuion.... Where did you find the info? Do you have a source link hat we could all view, or did you find it in hard copy in a Library?

Too bad you had to put that insulting barb a the end of your post... it really does nothing more than make you look like a prat than a person who's opinion I might be interested in in the future...

[Inquartata]

http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitut...as/hond05.html

Which works out to something like

"The citizen who has already held the title of Chief Executive cannot be President or Vice-President.

Whoever violates this law or proposes its reform, as well as those that support such violation directly or indirectly, must immediately cease their respective duties, and will be unable to hold any public office for a period of 10 years."

Article 4 defines the form of government and its branches, and affirms that any violation of its precepts constitutes treason against the country.

What the prescribed punishment for treason may be, I do not know---but can guess...