Honduras political crisis apparently not over

Honduran politicians apparently didn’t get the memo that last week’s U.S.-mediated deal had ended their country’s political deadlock: Zelaya’s supporters say that failure to approve the deal in the next few days would kill the final opportunity to legitimize this month’s presidential elections by keeping a government in power that no foreign leaders have recognized. ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

Honduran politicians apparently didn't get the memo that last week's U.S.-mediated deal had ended their country's political deadlock:

Honduran politicians apparently didn’t get the memo that last week’s U.S.-mediated deal had ended their country’s political deadlock:

Zelaya’s supporters say that failure to approve the deal in the next few days would kill the final opportunity to legitimize this month’s presidential elections by keeping a government in power that no foreign leaders have recognized. They warn there could be more of the street protests and repressive government countermoves that have sunk the country’s economy.

However, Honduras’ congressional leadership has postponed the crucial vote by asking the country’s Supreme Court, attorney general and human rights ombudsman to give nonbinding opinions on the legality of Zelaya’s return.

One sign that this is far from over is that Zelaya still won’t leave the Brazilian embassy — where he has been hold up since sneaking back into Honduras in September — for fear of arrest. Something tells me that Zelaya has spent all this time sleeping on an aerobed having music blasted at him at 2 a.m. just to finish off the last few weeks of his term. That’s why Micheletti’s supporters aren’t likely to let him anywhere near the presidency before the elction — which most countries have promised not to recognize.

So essentially, we’re back where we started.  

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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