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Honduras congress rejects Zelaya reinstatement

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Honduran National Congress on Wednesday voted 111-14 not to reinstate ousted president Manuel Zelaya who was removed by a military coup earlier this year. The vote was held in accordance with the Tegucigalpa/San Jose accord, brokered in October, which gave Congress the power to decide whether to allow Zelaya to serve out the remainder of his term ending January 27. Elections were held Sunday to determine who would succeed interim president Roberto Micheletti, with conservative candidate Profirio Lobo Sosa winning by a wide margin. The US has described Lobo's election as an important step in normalizing relations between the two countries, but emphasized that additional concerns about the country's political situation need to be addressed. Other members of the Organization of American States (OAS) have expressed differing opinions on the election results, with the presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru having recognized the election results, and Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela withholding support. Last week, the Honduran Supreme Court issued a non-binding advisory opinion ruling that Zelaya could not legally return to office. In July, the court refused a petition by the OAS Secretary General calling for the reinstatement of Zelaya as the country's head of state. Zelaya was ousted in June, following a judicial order asserting that he had broken Honduran law by attempting to conduct a controversial referendum on constitutional reform, contrary to a Supreme Court ruling. Zelaya has made several failed attempts to return to office, including attempting to fly into the country accompanied by international leaders.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 03, 2009 (boomark / email).