Honduran constitutional referendum, 2009: Difference between revisions
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== Background == |
== Background == |
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Incumbent [[President of Honduras|President]] [[Manuel Zelaya]] wanted to hold a non-binding referendum on whether to convene congress to modify the constitution to allow presidential reelection, but the [[National Congress of Honduras|National Congress]] passed a law forbidding holding referenda less than 180 days before the [[Honduran general election, 2009|next general election]] (as the next elections are set for 29 November 2009, this invalidates the referendum bid). The Supreme Court also ruled that the referendum was illegal. Formally, the referendum only asked voters whether they wanted to vote on a constitutional amendment voiding presidential term limits later this year, but Zelaya's critics feared he would use a positive result as a reason to dissolve parliament or invalidate the presidential election results in November 2009.<ref>{{cite news |first=Freddy |last=Cuevas |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1115412.html |title=Honduras heads toward crisis over referendum |work=[[The Miami Herald]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=2009-06-26 |accessdate=2009-06-27}}</ref> |
Incumbent [[President of Honduras|President]] [[Manuel Zelaya]] wanted to hold a non-binding referendum on whether to convene congress to modify the constitution to allow presidential reelection, but the [[National Congress of Honduras|National Congress]] passed a law forbidding holding referenda less than 180 days before the [[Honduran general election, 2009|next general election]] (as the next elections are set for 29 November 2009, this invalidates the referendum bid). In addition, the Honduran Constitution expressly forbids amendments or reforms altering presidential terms or allowing re-election.<ref>{{cite url=http://www.honduras.net/honduras_constitution2.html | title=CONSTITUCIÓN DE LA REPÚBLICA DE HONDURAS, 1982 |work=Article 374 |accessdate=2009-06-27}}</ref> The Supreme Court also ruled that the referendum was illegal. Formally, the referendum only asked voters whether they wanted to vote on a constitutional amendment voiding presidential term limits later this year, but Zelaya's critics feared he would use a positive result as a reason to dissolve parliament or invalidate the presidential election results in November 2009.<ref>{{cite news |first=Freddy |last=Cuevas |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1115412.html |title=Honduras heads toward crisis over referendum |work=[[The Miami Herald]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=2009-06-26 |accessdate=2009-06-27}}</ref> |
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==Current== |
==Current== |
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Revision as of 19:47, 28 June 2009
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (June 2009) |
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A constitutional referendum, known as the fourth urn (cuarta urna in Spanish) was planned to be held in Honduras on 28 June 2009. On the morning of June 28 President Manuel Zelaya was arrested and sent to Costa Rica by the military for having what the Supreme Court has called an illegal poll.[1]
Background
Incumbent President Manuel Zelaya wanted to hold a non-binding referendum on whether to convene congress to modify the constitution to allow presidential reelection, but the National Congress passed a law forbidding holding referenda less than 180 days before the next general election (as the next elections are set for 29 November 2009, this invalidates the referendum bid). In addition, the Honduran Constitution expressly forbids amendments or reforms altering presidential terms or allowing re-election.[2] The Supreme Court also ruled that the referendum was illegal. Formally, the referendum only asked voters whether they wanted to vote on a constitutional amendment voiding presidential term limits later this year, but Zelaya's critics feared he would use a positive result as a reason to dissolve parliament or invalidate the presidential election results in November 2009.[3]
Current
Zelaya then urged the military to offer logistical support to hold the referendum, as this task is done in national elections by the armed forces. The army denied his request, refusing to break the law by distributing ballots. Zelaya fired the head of the armed forces, Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, but the Supreme Court ruled that he should be reinstated.[4] These events gave international coverage to the referendum. While leftist leaders from the region (most notably Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, but also Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua) have called the events an attempted "coup d'état" by the country's elite against the president's populist policies and supporters, the National Congress has started to consider impeaching Zelaya.[5]
Coup d'etat
On Sunday, June 28, the day the referendum was scheduled, President Zelaya was reportedly detained by a group of soldiers and taken to an air force base.[6][7]
References
- ^ Troops detain Honduran president
- ^ Template:Cite url=http://www.honduras.net/honduras constitution2.html
- ^ Cuevas, Freddy (2009-06-26). "Honduras heads toward crisis over referendum". The Miami Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ "Honduran President staves off coup attempt". Free Speech Radio News. 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ Luhnow, David (2009-06-27). "Honduras Crisis Opens Regional Rift". The Wall Street Journal. p. A8. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ http://http://www.elheraldo.hn/Especiales/Honduras%20en%20contra%20de%20la%20ilegalidad%20del%2024%20de%20junio%20de%202009/Ediciones/2009/06/28/Noticias/Confusion-en-Honduras-detienen-al-presidente-Manuel-Zelaya El Heraldo (Spanish)
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090628/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_honduras_referendum_2
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