Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Monday recognized Porfirio Lobo as the newly elected President of Honduras.
Uribe, currently in Portugal where he is attending an Ibero-American summit, considers Honduras' new right-wing government legitimate, despite controversy over the legitimacy of the election.
"We hope they will make progress with efforts to overcome the difficulties in Honduras so there will be a consensus on national unity," Uribe said.
Brazil and most other South American countries earlier announced they will not recognize the results of the election, which follows the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya. According to his critics, the leftist leader had been in the process of changing the constitution to allow himself a re-election bid. Zelaya is currently in the Brazilian embassy in Honduras avoiding an arrest warrant.
The Organization of American States, the Carter Center and the European Union did not send observers. The United Nations withheld election support.
The U.S. government said late Sunday that it considered the presidential elections in Honduras "a necessary and important step forward" toward resolving the country's political crisis."Significant work remains to be done to restore democratic and constitutional order in Honduras, but today the Honduran people took a necessary and important step forward," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a written statement.
According to the U.S., the turnout was higher than with the previous election.
NotAlvaroUribe
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... What a shame, Uribe recognizing the election results under a dictatorship and the groups that funded the coup are the same observers for this election. This had the lowest election turnout because the Honduran people are protesting against it and are calling the elections illegitimate. The Organization of American States (OAS), Carter Center, UNASUR, ALBA, United Nations and the European Union have condemned the electoral process as illegitimate and refused to send observers. They have said they will not recognize Porfirio Lobo as the elected president. |
Lela
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... Finally! The Hondurans will be able to go back to the peaceful life they deserve. It is a travesty no to recognize their electoral process and results. These election process began way before the crisis. Other countries have no right to condemn what happened with "Mel Zelaya" , the Honduran constitution allowed the transition they sought. I am sure Honduras will not be allowed to question or criticize their constitutions. Hopefully, this will mark the end of the conflict and people may go on with their lives. I congratulate a small country that stood up against the world to save their dignity and democracy. Too bad for Chavez who could not pull this one thru. Shame on the OAS and shame, shame on Insulsa, what a petty man he is. Shame on the UN for not sending observers. The world should be happy that Honduras is not a branch of the Venezuelan dictator. |
NotAlvaroUribe
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... Except that the majority of Honduran people are still protesting the elections and want a return to real democracy instead of an election process that is funded and run by the same people that supported the coup d'etat and took away democracy from Honduras. You say that countries have no right to condemn what happened to Mel, yet you seem to conveniently ignore the calls of the Honduran people to condemn what happened to Mel, to condemn the coup, to condemn the suppression. There are now reports of 75% absentee in elections in areas of Honduras and there are claims of electoral fraud. They didn't send observers for good reason, the process didn't meet criteria in the first place. Honduras is militarized and is suppressing it's people. It is a travesty to support and recognize this electoral process. The U.S. is now pushing for countries to recognize the elections and Uribe, like a puppet, was happy to comply. |
gringomedillin
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... well I hope things get sorted out for the people there which ever way it goes, It has been a mess there for a while now. |
Crow
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... Congratulations to the Honduran people and their new President. Zelaya was a wanabe dictator and a chavista boot licker. Thank goodness Uribe can stand up for freedom and free elections in Honduras. The OAS has become a paid political tool of fascist dictators like Chavez. The Carter Center has no credibility anywhere, especially in the US and Venezula. It is time the free world understands that Chavez, Castro, Ortega and puppets like Zelaya are fascist dictators who wish to take power for life and enslave the citizens of Central and South America. |
NotAlvaroUribe
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... Someone needs to throw a dictionary at Crow, he seems to not know what a dictator and a fascist is. It has become apparent you want to stay blind to the fact that the elections were held under a "real" dictatorship and you are quick to congratulate it. |
Balsera
said:
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... What you're going to see in Honduras is a newly organized civil society that will rise up and FINALLY overcome years and years of chronic, low-level repression by the rich sector of society to demand its rights. THAT is the big news. It didn't have unrest in the 1980s like the rest of the region did, so this has been percolating for a long time. So, in the short run, Honduras has experienced an on-going coup, and this was NOT relieved by the elections. In the long run, what this has done is open a lot of eyes and cure a lot of passivity. It is going to have a VERY healthy effect on the society in the long term. All this bs about Chavez is just ignorance run amok, and reveals how easily people can be manipulated by propaganda when they live fearful lives. |
Michelle
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... Thank you Honduras! Too bad for Chavez he couldn't control Honduras too, we can only hope that those poor people can finally get the rights they deserve. Congratualations to Honduras. |
