09 / 10 / 2009 / Carlos Hernandez Ferreiro, Americas Programme Manager
REPORT - Honduras and the November elections: A missed opportunity?
This paper argues that the elections in November represented an opportunity for the main parties involved in the crisis in Honduras to change their approach. In a context where neither Manuel Zelaya’s camp nor Roberto Micheletti’s seem able to consolidate their preferences, both could have perceived the elections as a window of opportunity to push for a change in the current structure of the political crisis.
Furthermore, it is argued that the intervention of the international community, led by the Organization of the American States, has not provided a system of incentives for both parties to reach an agreement for settling the situation. On the contrary, the international community has been led into a game with two objectives where the strategy to resolve the institutional crisis has
been conflated with a broader strategy aimed at balancing the influence of President Chavez and the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).
Finally, the paper cast doubts on recent developments in Honduras and suggests the need to launch a two tier approach where support for the November elections could be combined with a serious commitment to political dialogue in the country.