Elections in Honduras: political progress or deepening crisis?
Published: 01 December, 2009, 03:46
Edited: 01 December, 2009, 14:13
Supporters of deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya waves a Honduran flag during a protest against the last general elections in Tegucigalpa on November 30, 2009 (AFP Photo / Yuri Cortez)
(24.1Mb) embed videoTAGS: Election, South America
An opponent of the ousted Honduran President has won the race to become the next leader. But human rights activist Sergio Moncada says the elections are not recognized by most Latin America countries.
The US has agreed to recognize the legitimacy of Sunday's elections, saying Honduras is now moving closer to democracy with this election.
The move has angered many Honduran activists as well as other Latin Americans who say the result merely legitimizes the June coup, during which then President Manuel Zelaya was exiled at gunpoint. The deposed ex-president, who has been holed up in the Brazilian Embassy since secretly returning, described as a "fraud" the election in which he was barred from running.
Sergio Moncada, a co-founder of Hondurans for Democracy who opposes the election, says there were many civil rights abuses in the run-up to the day votes were cast.
“The elections that took place yesterday are not recognized by most of the countries in Latin America,” Moncada told RT. “In the past 5 months we have recorded 4,000 violations of human rights, including 3,000 illegal detentions and 23 political assassinations just prior to the elections.”
30.11.2009, 19:02
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The fact Obama administration does not represent change but a continuation of American imperialism in Latin America became very clear in April during a meeting of the leaders of the Americas in the island of Trinidad and Tobeygo. During this meeting , the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, presented a copy of Eduardo Galeano’s 1974 epic historical book which tells the story of 500 years of U.S/European exploitation of Latin America. I am not sure whether Obama had accepted Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. However, it was no accident that even Obama spoke warming U.S/Latin American relations in that meeting,, mercenaries from Europe and Columbia paramilitary agents were arrested in Ecuador! It is truly pity that exploitation and military interventions seem to be the preferred U.S foreign policy in dealing with the Latin America. Implications of Honduras's fake election depends on what the free leaders of Latin America do. If they reject this fake election, it will fail. But if they fail to take strong stance, Venezuela will be next. In fact Venezuela is the real target for U.S regime change in Latin America.












Right you are Sarah