Mercosur disavows Honduras elections
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The presidents of the member countries of the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) issued on Tuesday a statement disavowing the elections held in Honduras on Nov. 29.
During the 38th Mercosur Summit, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "reaffirmed their strongest condemnation against the coup" of June 28 against Honduras' constitutional President Manuel Zelaya.
The Mercosur "considers unacceptable the serious violations to the human rights and freedom of the Honduran people," the statement said.
"Due to the non-restoration in power of President Zelaya in the charge for which he was democratically elected, (the Mercosur) totally and fully disavows the general elections held (in Honduras) on Nov. 29," the statement said.
According to the Mercosur, those elections were held "in a climate of unconstitutionality and illegality, being a strong hit to the democratic values of Latin America and the Caribbean."
On June 28, Zelaya was ousted and forced into exile in Costa Rica. The international community immediately condemned the coup and refused to recognize the de facto government established in that Central American country, demanding Zelaya's immediate restoration to power.
On Nov. 29, Honduras held a controversial election, in which Porfirio Lobo turned out to be the winner. However, many countries have refused to recognize the election outcome.
The 38th Mercosur Summit opened on Tuesday in Montevideo.
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