News of the Restless

They have a strange notion of what constitutes “democracy” down there in the banana republics. De facto dictator Gorilletti, for example, is such a shit that no one in their right mind would elect him, but as Aporrea reports, the putschist Honduran congress has found a neat little way around that:

The Honduran congress designated de facto president Roberto Micheletti a “member for life” on Wednesday, in recognition of his efforts “in favor of democracy” in the Central American nation.

Micheletti attended the session with which the congress closed its four-year constitutional term, and in his speech thanked the legislators for their support during the seven months of his rule.

Micheletti assumed power on June 28, 2009, after a coup d’état against the deposed and subsequently expelled constitutional president Manuel Zelaya, who remains inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa as of September 21, having re-entered the country secretly.

The congress, dominated by supporters of the coup, deemed Micheletti “constitutional president” of the republic.

Micheletti, who remains unrecognized as president by any country, assured that he will step down as president on January 27, when the presidency will be assumed by Porfirio Lobo, who won the elections of November 29 and is recognized only by the United States, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama and Peru.

Translation mine.

Meanwhile, look who won’t be attending the inauguration of Pepe Lobo…

The president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, announced on Wednesday that he would not be attending the inauguration of Porfirio Lobo, whom he criticized for his “weakness” in not getting de facto president Roberto Micheletti to leave power before the change-over on January 27.

“If he could not convince whomever presided in the de facto government that it would give greater legitimacy to the elections and the succession, accompanied by international authorities and other heads of state, it seems to me that this is a demonstration of weakness,” said Arias during a press conference.

The Costa Rican leader said that he has not had any contact recently with the elected authorities in Honduras, but that he had read in the press that Micheletti would remain in power until he handed over the presidential sash to Lobo.

“If Micheletti remains in power until January 27, it seems to me a sign of weakness on Lobo’s part. He does not deserve this, nor do the people of Honduras, who need a strong president in order to recuperate [their country’s image] from all the criticism resulting from the coup d’état on June 28,” Arias declared.

Arias, who attempted to mediate in the Honduran conflict after the expulsion of Manuel Zelaya, recalled that at year’s end, he met with Lobo in San José, and recommended to him that he try to get Micheletti to leave office. “I told him he would be well regarded and applauded by the international community if someone other than Micheletti were in charge of the government on the 27th of January, when he [Lobo] is due to receive the sash.”

Arias regretted that this would not be possible, and predicted, before confirming that he would not attend Lobo’s inauguration, that it “would be a very lonely affair” which, he said, gave him “great pain.”

As mediator in the conflict, Arias advocated for the return of Zelaya to power and amnesty for the perpetrators, but none of this took place. Later, he supported the elections in which Lobo won, and asked the international community to recognize the elections and the newly elected government.

Translation, again, mine.

Sorry, Oscar, but the world can’t recognize this “election” as anything but a farce, when it was attended by such a small portion of the Honduran electorate and its outcome was so obviously screwed up. Nobody voted Gorilletti into the congress-to-be, and yet there he is, a member for life. What the hell kind of democracy is that?

Obviously, it’s a very lame simulacrum, which is probably why Oscar Arias won’t be attending the inauguration of his neighbor. He already made a big enough ass of himself trying to mediate a conflict where the putschists were determined to kill the clock, and later trying to get recognition for the bogus election. He probably figures it’s time to cut his losses and stay home.

Most of the region’s other leaders will be doing the same.