Another Disaster for Central American Democracy
Honduras’ Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo: Another Disaster for Central American Democracy Waiting in the Wing
Tomorrow, January 27th, as the world’s eyes continue to be riveted on the unfolding disaster in Haiti, Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo will be installed as Honduras' president, succeeding de facto president Roberto Micheletti. While Lobo represents a marked improvement over his predecessor, he is no Jeffersonian, since he certainly was a supporter of the June 28th military coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Lobo was chosen in a November election held under conditions of qualified state terror. Statistically, the majority of Hondurans boycotted the presidential elections, as well as those for dozens of candidates for lower offices, and the vast majority of countries around the world classified the ballot as illegitimate.
In the hours and days following the election, the illegally-appointed Supreme Electoral Tribunal committed fraud by announcing a voter turnout that was indisputably more than 12 percentage points higher than its own officially-published numbers. The doctored higher figure was cited repeatedly by Lobo, Secretary of State Clinton, and other friendly faces to legitimize the disputed ballot. Many Honduran and foreign observers argue that later international support for the Lobo Administration will eventually ensure the invalidation of Zelaya’s most important reforms. This support will guarantee long-term repression and a growing degree of tight-fisted control in the country, as well as endangering democratic institutions and social justice reforms throughout the hemisphere as the result of an echo effect.
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This analysis was prepared by COHA Senior Research Fellow Adrienne Pine
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