Ideological trench warfare, and a pronounced inability to dialogue led ten years ago to the overthrow of President Manuel Zelaya. It was the beginning of an Era of democratic Regression in Latin America.
“It was an idiotic coup”. Aristides Mejía shakes of the head, when he thinks of the coup in Honduras ten years ago. Soldiers awoke then President Manuel Zelaya in his Palace and declared him deposed. He was brought in – allegedly still in the pajamas immediately out of the country. In the baggy T-Shirt he kept at the airport in Costa Rica, a sensational press conference (picture above). Mejía was then Vice-President. He has seen the fatal output coming – but he couldn’t stop him. “Zelaya didn’t listen to my warnings,” he says in an Interview with DW. Support Mejía received at the time by U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens, the convey on several occasions tried to. In vain.
The two warring camps to snap each other like trains on a collision course. On the one hand, the popular Zelaya, with the support of grassroots organizations and left Intellectuals. On the other hand, the conservative Elite of the country, with their bastions in Congress, the judiciary and the community, and with the support of the Church to take. Than tipped the scales in the armed forces were – as so often in such crisis situations in Latin America.
The rash of the armed forces
For months, the conflict rocked high. The Elite dared Zelaya, in the driving water of the Venezuelan left-wing populist Hugo Chávez, miss talented and for his country, a constitutional amendment aimed at – with the aim to allow for yourself a until then forbidden re-election. However, it was not only ideology, but also to do business. The increase in the minimum wage and the reduction of tax advantages for out-of-tune, the entrepreneurs – in spite of high growth rates in the country. Personal animosities and a politicized judiciary played a role, as Amateur mistakes. So Zelaya did not to the internal elections of his liberal party, which came into the hands of an opponent. As a result, Zelaya slipped from the control of Congress and appointed Supreme judges and prosecutors. Zelaya felt rooked and radicalized increasingly.
The cowboy hat as a trademark: Honduras’ Ex-President Manuel Zelaya
The last straw brought to his efforts, the armed forces shall be used for the controversial referendum cohost. Mejía, who had been until a few months before the coup, the defense Minister, believes that the dispute would have kept forces in the loved one entirely out of the conflict. But that changed, as a court, the referendum, prohibition, the armed forces made to the judgment result, and Zelaya deposed the chief of the General staff. With his faithful stormed Zelaya in the barracks, in the choice of stored documents.
American influence
The events of June 2009 have found different interpretations. “It was a Plan of the conservative National party,” the constitutional lawyer Melvin López. “You saw a Chance to split the hitherto dominant Liberal party and to secure for ourselves the Power on duration.” In fact, the most loyal of Zelaya supporters left after the coup, the party and founded a new Association called “Libre”. Left-wing historians see in Honduras a blueprint for one of the USA’s slyly conservative restoration, because in a similar style was later discontinued, the progressive Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo. Conservatives, however, are convinced that the coup was the lesser of two Evils, because he did the country a mess as is currently the case in Venezuela saves.
Honduras is currently rocked by protests directed against the incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernández.
Both interpretations, however, are controversial: For a US roll-over plan, no conclusive information found. And under the conservative reign of blooming corruption, violence, crime, authoritarianism, and drug stores, so that Hondurans are fleeing by the hundreds of thousands the direction of the USA. Of democratic consolidation, the country remained far away. The conservative President, Juan Orlando Hernández was also unconstitutional, however, more skillful than Zelaya, thanks to its controlled judiciary in 2017, his re – election.
“The consequences of this upheaval we suffer until today,” says the sociologist and writer Juan Ramon Martinez. The coup isolated Honduras, weakened its institutions, contributed to the authoritarianism of Hernández feed, revealed the diplomatic limitations of regional integration alliances such as the organization of American States (OAS) and marked the beginning of an Era in which the armed forces returned to the political stage. Honduras is polarized today, which leads to permanent instability. “Only a renewal of the political leadership figures and a Pact of National unity can lead us out of this cul-de-SAC”, is Mejía convinced.