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CENTRAL AMERICA |
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Honduran Elections: Unviable, Illegal
TEGUCIGALPA - San Pedro Sula's Mayor Rodolfo
Padilla joined the list of Honduran
candidates refusing to participate in the
elections, due to illegitimacy of that
process under the coup regime.
Padilla, who was seeking reelection in the
country's second important city, asserted
that if institutionality is not restored, it
would be impossible to hold transparent
elections, as demanded by people and the
international community.
As the situation in the country does not
meet the conditions above, it is contrary to
my principles, convictions and values to
legitimate electioneering processes that
intend to consolidate abuse, crimes, and
outrages perpetrated by those responsible
for the coup, he asserted.
Around 110 candidates for mayor and 55 for
deputies, of different parties, gave up
participating in the contest on November 29,
protesting the putschists' regime.
The first candidate that gave up
participating was independent presidential
runner Carlos H. Reyes, after denouncing
that there is an ongoing farce to legitimate
the de facto regime.
"Definitively, constitutional order has not
been restored nor President Manuel Zelaya
reinstated and we can not participate in the
elections in such conditions. This would be
legitimazing the putschists," Reyes
explained.
Representatives of the constitutional
government and the de facto regime signed on
October 30, at the instance of Washington,
an agreement in favor of submitting Zelaya's
restitution and the shaping of a unity
government to the Congress for approval.
However, the accord, called Tegucigalpa/San
Jose, failed because the Parliament
maneuvered to delay the vote, and the head
of the coup regime tried to form by himself
that cabinet.
Zelaya said that without the essential
conditions to guarantee for the citizenry
the universal right to vote directly,
secretly and free of coercion or threats,
the electoral process becomes unviable and
unlawful. |
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