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The 15th of September passed quietly in the capital of Tegucigalpa. Too quietly. An unusual disquietude lay over the city for what is usually one of the most celebrated days in the Honduran calendar. On September 15, 1821, Honduras achieved liberation from Spain. What should have been a day of feasting and celebration was a day of uneasiness. For weeks, rumors had been floating that the president of the Republic, Mel Zelaya, was going to overthrow the constitutional government of Honduras with the aid of the military. Apparently, there had been secret meetings between Zelaya and the head of the Armed Forces in the weeks preceding the holiday.
A few days before the 15th of September, Michelletti, the President of the Honduras congress, emerged from a meeting with President Zelaya. He declared the coup was only a rumor. However, after months of increased rhetoric from Zelaya regarding imperialist forces, pledges of support for Hugo Chavez, and the hints that he would not give up the presidency when his term expired led many to ponder these conspiracy theories with concern. In addition, Zelaya signed a trade agreement, ALBA, whose adherents include the leftist countries of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and the Dominican Republic. The Congress must agree to the treaty before it can be formalized.
On Friday, September 13, Zelaya refused to formally accept the credentials of the new incoming US Ambassador to Honduras. As dawn came upon the mountainous city of Tegucigalpa on September 15, most citizens chose to stay close to home. Instead of a coup, Zelaya used the day to denounce enemies of Honduras, both within and without.
However, the day ended calmly. The constitution is in intact. Since, Zelaya is enormously unpopular within the country, maybe the populace and the military chose to ignore his intentions for the Day of Independance.
The US is the largest trading partner of Honduras. Along with the exports of bananas, coffee and clothing, Honduras receives a large portion of its GNP in the form of remittances sent from Honduran immigrants in the United States. In addition, Honduras receives millions of dollars in foreign aid from the US. One wonders what damage to the fragile relationship between the countries is being wrought by the words of President Zelaya.
For now, everyone is returning to work and daily routines. Calmness, uneasy calmness, reigns over the city.
