Honduras news roundup Dec. 2

Las elecciones ilegales en Honduras y la hipocresía de Washington

Honduras hace fracasar la Cumbre Iberoamericana

El Congreso debate la restitución de Zelaya

Elecciones en Honduras (7): La propia dictadura admite un 65% de abstención

Con la mayoría de votos escrutados sólo 1,6 millones de de un total de 4,6 millones de personas convocadas a votar, ha sufragado en las ilegales elecciones que ha organizado la dictadura golpista, lo que significa que el 65% de los electores, tres millones de ciudadanos, no han participado en las elecciones según los datos de la propia dictadura hondureña.

Empiezan a caer mascaras en fraude electoral de Honduras

Entrevista al abogado en resistencia Víctor Fernández “Los golpistas son evidentes y confesos de su ilegalidad”

Matriz completa con datos de COFADEH, CIPRODEH, CODEH, CPTRT, FIAN Y CDM

Desconocidos asaltan sede de Vía Campesina

Actos terroristas contra la Resistencia de Juticalpa

Congreso de facto debate sobre restitución de Manuel Zelaya

More on Funes recognition of sham elections in Honduras

El Diario de Hoy, Dec. 2, 2009

In spite of the fact that Funes has not spoken about recognizing the president-elect, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, he has opened the door for future discussions with the new president that could lead to the stabilization of the situation between both countries.

"I cannot greet the people of Honduras with the same enthusiasm, in view of yesterday's elections held in the middle of a climate of institutional instability and rupture of the constitutional order. Nevertheless, I hope that the new situation created in that country will lead to a process of national dialogue and end up as soon as possible with the restoration of democracy and constitutional order," said Funes in his speech at the presidential summit in Estoril last Monday.

That is the challenge that the candidate who wins the election has ahead of him, so that the international community, and especially the countries of Iberoamerica, can normalize relations with Honduras," Funes continued. He added that "it is not a matter of recognizing the elections or not, but of encouraging processes that will lead to the strengthening of democracy."

Torn between two models, Funes follows Obama

by Diana Barahona

[Español abajo]

Nov. 30, 2009

Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, who was carried to power by the FMLN this past March but quickly jettisoned the party from his government, has obliquely recognized the results of yesterday's electoral farce in neighboring Honduras.

During his presidential campaign Funes rejected any affinity for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America and instead insisted that his models were Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva and Barack Obama. But those models are bitterly split over Obama's support for the June 28 coup in Honduras and its subsequent legitimation by sham elections carried out yesterday. The United States followed up on its commitment to recognize the elections no matter what, but Lula has resisted pressure to do the same.

Upon their arrival yesterday at the Iberoamerican Summit in Estoril, Portugal, Funes and Lula expressed strongly divergent opinions about the electoral farce being held in Honduras. The Brazilian president said that his country "has nothing to reconsider" regarding its pledge to not recognize the elections. His position is shared by most countries in Latin America and the world, the United States being the most notorious exception.

But the Salvadoran president opted to toe the U.S. line, stating in a communique that its was only the outgoing government of Roberto Micheletti that El Salvador didn't recognize, not the new government of conservative landowner "Pepe" Lobo.

In a rephrasing of the State Department position, Funes added: "The Salvadoran government hopes that the virtual winner of the electoral event will express his willingness to initiate a political dialogue that permits a national agreement that puts an end to the crisis and leads to a government of unity, the reestablishment of the constitutional order and reconciliation in the brother country."

Ante el conflicto entre sus dos referentes, Funes opta por seguir a Obama

El presidente salvadoreño, Mauricio Funes, llevado al poder por el FMLN este marzo pasado para luego desvincularse del partido y hacer su propio gobierno, ha reconocido indirectamente los resultados de la farsa electoral en el país vecino de Honduras.

Durante su campaña Funes rechazaba categóricamente tener afinidad alguna para el presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, y el ALBA, e insistía mas bien que sus referentes eran Inacio Lula da Silva y Barack Obama. Pero esos referentes han tomado posiciones contrarias frente al apoyo dado por Obama al golpe de estado del 28 de junio en Honduras y su legitimación subsiguiente mediante las elecciones falsas realizadas ayer. Los Estados Unidos cumplió con su compromiso de reconocer las elecciones pasara lo que pasara, pero Lula se ha resistido a las presiones para que él hiciera lo mismo.

Al arribarse en Portugal ayer para la Cumbre Iberoamericana, Funes y Lula expresaron opiniones divergentes sobre la farsa electoral que se estaba celebrando en Honduras. El presidente brazileño dijo que su país "no tiene nada que repensar" respecto a su decisión de desconocer las elecciones. Su posición es compartida por la mayoría de los países de América Latina y el mundo, con la excepción infamante de los Estados Unidos.

Pero el presidente salvadoreño ha optado por obedecer a Washington, declarando en un comunicado que era sólo el gobierno saliente de Roberto Micheletti el que El Salvador se negaba a reconocer, y no el nuevo gobierno del terrateniente conservador, "Pepe" Lobo.

En una reformulación de la posición del Departamento de Estado, Funes agregó: “El Gobierno de El Salvador espera que el virtual ganador del evento electoral exprese su voluntad para iniciar un diálogo político que permita un acuerdo nacional que ponga fin a la crisis y conlleve a un gobierno de unidad, el restablecimiento del orden constitucional y la reconciliación en el hermano país”.

United States officially recognizes Honduran elections: AP

Nov. 30, 2009

Arturo Valenzuela, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, said the election was fair and transparent but that Honduras must make further efforts to restore democracy after President Manuel Zelaya was expelled in June. . . .

Many Western Hemisphere countries refuse to recognize Honduras' newly elected President Porfirio Lobo because of the coup, and Valenzuela was pressed by reporters on whether the United States recognizes Lobo's election.

"He will be the next president of Honduras," he said. "We recognize those results, and we commend Mr. Lobo for having won these elections."

Honduras: National Resistance Front Communique No. 40

* Massive 65-70% Boycott of Sham Elections

* Victory March & Rally today (Nov.30)

[Excerpts in English, followed by Full text in Spanish below]

It is with great satisfaction that we announce to the Honduran people and to the international community that the electoral farce organized by the dictatorship was defeated by the very low turnout at the polls, so much so that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal was obliged to keep the polls open one more hour to try to increase participation.

The voter monitoring conducted by our organization at polling booths nationwide indicates a level of abstention of at least 65% to 70% — the highest rate of abstention in our nation's history, which implies a voter turnout of barely 30%-35%. This is how the Honduran people have punished the candidates of the coup and the dictatorship, who are now in the bind of having to show world public opinion a high percentage of voters who did not exist. We denounce that for this they have resorted to fraudulent maneuvers such as bringing in Salvadorans linked to the ARENA Party to vote in our country, as was reported by peasants in the municipality of Magdalena, Intibucá. And we expect them to try to increase the turnout numbers through electronic manipulation.

The desperation of the defacto regime is such that it has brutally repressed the peaceful demonstration carried out in San Pedro Sula, in which several comrades were injured, beaten and detained; one disappearance is reported. Among the injured is a Reuters reporter and there is a report of the detention of two religious workers of the Latin American Council of Churches who were doing human rights monitoring.

Whereas that this result represents a great victory for the people of Honduras, the National Resistance Front invites all the Honduran people in resistance to celebrate tomorrow this defeat of the dictatorship. Everyone is asked to gather at this Great Assembly as of 12 noon on Monday, November 30, at the STIBYS trade union hall in Tegucigalpa, from which the Grand Victory March against the Electoral Farce will begin at 3 p.m. from Planeta Cipango.

WE RESIST AND WE WILL WIN! Tegucigalpa, Nov. 29, 2009

COMUNICADO No. 40

Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular Contra el Golpe de Estado

DENUNCIA EL FRACASO DE LA FARSA ELECTORAL

Con plena satisfacción anunciamos al Pueblo hondureño y a la comunidad internacional que la farsa electoral montada por la dictadura ha sido contundentemente derrotada debido a la raquítica afluencia de votantes a las urnas, a tal grado que el Tribunal Electoral golpista tuvo que prorrogar una hora más la votación hasta las 5 p.m.

Lo que está a la vista no quiere anteojos. El monitoreo que nuestra organización hizo a nivel nacional, nos arroja que el nivel de abstencionismo es como mínimo del 65 al 70%, el más alto en la historia nacional, lo que implica que apenas votó un máximo del 30 al 35% del electorado. En esta forma el pueblo hondureño ha castigado a los candidatos golpistas y a la dictadura, quienes ahora están en el aprieto de cómo mostrar ante la opinión pública internacional un volumen de votantes que no existió. Denunciamos que para eso han recurrido a maniobras fraudulentas como el ingreso de salvadoreños, afines del Partido ARENA, traídos para votar a nuestro país, tal como fue denunciado por los campesinos en el municipio de Magdalena, Intibucá. Y debemos esperar que intenten incrementar el volumen electoral mediante la manipulación electrónica.

La desesperación del régimen de facto es tal que ha reprimido brutalmente la manifestación pacífica que se realizó en la ciudad de San Pedro Sula, en la cual resultaron varios compañeros heridos, golpeados y detenidos; y se reporta un desaparecido. Entre los heridos se informa de un reportero de REUTER y se reporta la detención de dos religiosos del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias que hacían labor de observación en derechos humanos.

Considerando que este resultado representa una gran victoria del pueblo hondureño, el Frente Nacional de Resistencia invita a todo el pueblo hondureño en resistencia a celebrar el día de mañana la derrota de la dictadura. Se convoca en Tegucigalpa a una Gran Asamblea el día de mañana lunes 30 de noviembre a partir de las 12 del medio en la sede del STYBIS y a la gran Caravana de la Victoria contra la Farsa Electoral a partir de las 3 p.m. saliendo de Planeta Cipango.

¡RESISTIMOS Y VENCEREMOS! Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. 29 de noviembre de 2009

Honduran elections: Turnout will affect legitimacy claims

by Diana Barahona

Nov. 29, 2009

In 2005, Manuel Zelaya won the presidency with 50 percent of votes (just under 1 million), running as the candidate of the ruling class Liberal Party. There were 2.19 million votes out of a total of 3.977 million registered voters, making the turnout 55 percent (source for voters and vote count: Honduran Supreme Electoral Tribunal).

In today's elections, held by the ruling military-capitalist government, President Zelaya hopefully claimed there would be a 75 percent abstention rate, while the Resistance Front claimed a more modest abstention of 65-70 percent. On the right, CNN claimed a "high turnout" (a claim that was picked up by media all over the world) on the basis of no data at all.

Here is what The New York Times said when the polls closed today:

"Much of the suspense appeared to hang on how many of Honduras’s 4.6 million voters would turn up rather than who they would vote for.

"In the 2005 election, when Mr. Zelaya defeated Mr. Lobo, the turnout was 46 percent, although Honduras’s election numbers are typically low because one million Hondurans live in the United States and mostly do not vote."

It is not clear where the 2005 turnout of 46 percent cited here came from—I have seen it elsewhere. But the claim that there are one million expatriates living in the United States should not change the turnout, which is the ratio of actual voters to registered voters and not the ratio of voters to population, which is 7,792,854 (source: CIA Factbook). These are not recent migrants and should have been purged from the voter rolls.

Since the TSE is as corrupt as all of the other government institutions in Honduras, today's official turnout and blank ballot numbers should be viewed with caution. It is likely to vastly cut the electoral register to make the turnout look higher, and a fairer number should be calculated from the 2005 figure of 3.997 million registered voters. For the Resistance predictions to be born out, there would have to be a 35 percent voter turnout, or 1.399 million total votes cast. And since a blank or null ballot is another way to protest the elections, these totals should also be compared to 2005.

Honduran Army represses peaceful protest in San Pedro Sula

TeleSUR

Members of the Army and police are repressing members of the resistance who are peacefully marching in San Pedro Sula in protest against today's elections organized by the defacto government. Honduran journalist Daisy Bonilla reported that military forces are using teargas and sticks against the marchers.

Members of the Honduran resistance carried out a peaceful protest against the illegitimate elections in San Pedro Sula, Honduras's second most important city, when they were repressed by military and police forces who militarized the city.