Honduras’ Zelaya seeks help after coup

There has been international condemnation of the Honduran army’s coup this weekend, sending President Manuel Zelaya into exile, but his quest to get real international pressure to bear on the generals is yet to bear much fruit.

In Honduras ,many of his supporters are angry and are holding protests near the presidential palace, which has been occupied and sealed off by the army.

The military was acting on orders from the Supreme Court. It maintains Zelaya was abusing his power by trying to hold a referendum yesterday on allowing presidents to serve more than one four-year term.

The UN General Assembly has been called to an emergency meeting today to debate the coup, but Honduras’s Congress has moved quickly to fill the vacuum, nominating Roberto Micheletti as president. The former leader has ordered a curfew and is forming a government to run the country until elections due at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Zelaya has moved on from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, where he has obtained support from Latin America’s left-wing leaders. Eight of his ministers have been arrested, and he has been threatened with arrest and trial if he returns.

Some have feared Zelaya was trying to “do a Chavez”; copy his left-wing ally’s successful attempt to change the Venezuelan constitution and allow him to repeatedly stand for re-election.

Copyright © 2009 euronews

tags: Coup, Honduras