Elections

This Sunday's elections have been hailed by the United States and the de facto Honduran government as the only exit to the political crisis that has further impoverished this already struggling country. The United States has been clear that they will recognize the results of the elections, despite the fact that Zelaya was not returned to the presidency. Most Latin American countries say they will not recognize the new government, but only time will tell whether the elections will put the situation to rest.

Some fear violence on election day. Many (most?) are apathetic. I have not talked to one person who will be voting on Sunday. My sense is that Hondurans are so fed up with the political corruption and impunity that to vote on Sunday is to legitimize a system that is deeply broken.

If you are interested, here is a blog entry that summarizes the militarization surrounding these "free" elections. The most troubling reality to me is that the military has sent a letter to all mayors asking them to provide names and telephone numbers of all of the people in their communities who belong to the resistance movement. The fact that the armed forces can so openly root out people it considers to be political dissidents proves to me that this was, indeed, a military coup.