On a path to dictatorship

Hondurans were right in rejecting Zelaya.

Carlos Pineda Pinel
is a former justice vice minister of Honduras

In 1688, King James II rid himself of the laws of Parliament and was swiftly replaced by William III in a coup, which gave birth to England's modern parliamentary democracy and bill of rights. Military force was used to replace the lawful king, yet nobody would deny the legitimacy of England's "Glorious Revolution."

The removal of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya last Sunday by the military under civilian orders is being called a coup all over the world, and it certainly bears its signs. Yet what took place is really a Honduran glorious revolution. Hondurans defended their liberty as best as they could and put all future presidents under the rule of law.

Article 239 of the Honduran constitution forbids citizens from being president for more than one term. It warns, "Whoever breaks this disposition or proposes its reform, as well as his collaborators, will immediately cease from office and be rendered unable to hold office again for 10 years."

Article 374 states, "Under no circumstances shall the ... articles referring to the form of government, the national territory, the presidential period, the prohibition to become again president of the republic ... and the one referring to whom cannot be president, be reformed."

Finally, Article 3 states, "Nobody owes obedience to an usurping government nor to those who assume functions ... by using means or procedures that do not acknowledge what this constitution and its laws establish. Acts carried on by said authorities are null."

On Sunday, Zelaya wanted to conduct a "poll" using ballot boxes - printed, supervised, counted, and validated by his own executive power - with no outside supervision and no recourse for allegations of fraud. The question was, "Would you agree to the placement of a fourth ballot box in the November election to install a national constitutional assembly?" Despite Zelaya's declarations, the result was certain to be manipulated and used to suspend the election and call upon an assembly that would allow him to stay in power.

The poll was declared illegal by the Supreme Court, the attorney general, the Department of Justice, and the National Electoral body, yet Zelaya tried to push ahead. He had already decreed that the results would be used to install a constitutional assembly. The minute he did this, under Article 239, he stripped himself of office.

Obviously Zelaya was hoping to follow the manual of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on how to undermine democracy and install a "constitutional dictatorship." The Honduran system of checks and balances kicked in - albeit less than elegantly - resulting in a transition of power that guarantees an election and the continued freedom of Hondurans.

The U.S. government and others have chosen to support a man who was certainly on the path to dictatorship. They do so against Honduras' constitution, its institutions, and the will of its people.

One of the signs carried in a recent rally in support of the new government read, "We prefer six months of international isolation to 50 years of tyranny."

The world must choose now whether to back a would-be dictator or support the Honduran people in peacefully conducting their own "glorious revolution."

Article Previously published here