Global Voices » Leonidas Mejia

Honduras: Lobo is President After Controversial Elections

Leonidas Mejia — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:45:53 +0000

Caught between calls to abstain from voting and fear of violence on election day, Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo from the National Party was elected President of Honduras, with Elvin Santos from the Liberal Party in second place. The elections themselves are controversial: indirectly they support the ousting of former president Manuel Zelaya in June by a military coup. At the time, Zelaya was replaced by Roberto Micheletti, then President of the National Congress, who acted as interim until the elections of November.

Few countries have confirmed whether they will acknowledge the results of the elections, while leftist governments have stated open rejections: for the moment, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela have not recognized president-elect Porfirio Lobo, The Guardian reports.

In spite of the uncertainty, as well as the difficult political and social situation of the country, the voting process proceeded without major problems. While the Supreme Electoral Tribune reported a turnout of 60% [es], a percentage higher than expected but still problematic for declaring a representative majority.

Photo by user rbreve. Taken from Flickr following a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/breve/3685439122/in/set-72157620912638868/

Opposing, strong opinions about the election can be found in the catrachan blogosphere.

La Gringa from La Gringa’s Blogicito shared her surprise when noticed the lack of militarization at the polling places:

I went to three polling places on Sunday in La Ceiba (the third largest city in Honduras) and one in El Porvenir (a smaller town) in the department of Atlantida. The polling places were crowded with hardly any police or military in sight. I was surprised at the latter because I was worried they would be needed for security.

Blogger David Moran from El Catracho believes that high-percentage of voters represented the discontent [es] against former president Zelaya:

El hecho destacable de las elecciones fue la notoria participación de los hondureños, algo sumamente necesario para contrarrestar el boicot de Zelaya y sus adláteres chavistas. Lo único que hicieron con sus protestas callejeras y actos vandálicos fue despertar nuestra conciencia democrática y ponerla en su contra.

The remarkable fact of the elections was the notable participation of Hondurans, something importantly needed to counteract Zelaya's boycott and his chavist militants. The only thing that was achieved by their public protests and vandalism was to awaken our democratic conscience and use it against him.

On the other side of the spectrum, the National Front of Resistance Against the Coup’d’Etát [es] calls to reject the president-elect:

Hacemos un llamado a los gobiernos y movimientos sociales democráticos y honestos en el mundo a rechazar los resultados de la farsa electoral y a desconocer el pretendido gobierno que se instale a partir del 27 de enero.

We call on governments and honest social-democratic movements in the world to reject the results from the electoral farce, and to disregard the pretended government that will be inaugurated on January 27.

From Mirada de Halcón, Juan Carlos Rivera considers that the elections can be used to “clean” [es] the actions of the coup:

Ahora, los magistrados del Tribunal, aliados del régimen de facto, tuvieron que recurrir a la trampa para intentar convencer a la comunidad internacional de que las elecciones “fueron masivas y transparentes” y, lograr en consecuencia, lavar el golpe de Estado y absolver de los delitos a los ejecutores.

Now, the Tribune magistrates, allies of the de facto regime, had to resort to cheating, to persuade the international community that the elections “were massive and transparent” and therefore to whitewash the coup d'état and absolve the crimes of the executors.

Porfirio Lobo, who will be sworn in as president in January 2010, was Zelaya's opponent in the general elections of 2005. He is part of centre-right oriented National Party, and was President of the National Congress of Honduras until 2006. According to Spanish newspaper El País [es], he is 62 years old, a father of 11 children, and has a degree in Business Management from Miami University.

Translated by Issa Villarreal

Honduras: The Beginning of the End of the Crisis?

Leonidas Mejia — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:18:37 +0000

The signing of the “Guaymuras Dialogue Agreement of San José/Tegucigalpa [es]” has opened the door to solving the crisis, which started on June 28, 2009 with the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya. The teams representing Zelaya and interim President Roberto Micheletti signed the agreement on October 29, with the final backing of the United States, specifically the Sub-Secretary of Hemispheric Affairs, Thomas Shannon.

The agreement point that was debated the most and which had provoked the failure of previous dialogue attempts was whether or not to return Zelaya to power. This agreement would call for a power-sharing government and for both sides to recognize the results of the Presidential elections to be held on November 29. The signed deal is now in the hands of the National Congress, which must approve it and which is the same body that voted for Zelaya's removal more than 120 days ago.

Photo by NewsHour and used under a Creative Commons license

The international community has praised the signed agreement. The Organization of American States supports the November general elections, as are the European Union and the United States, which also recently resumed the issuing of visas to the country, which had been a measure to pressure the Micheletti government.

In Honduras, there is a mix of hope and uncertainty. There is hope that the political, economic, and social crisis that the country has been living since June will finish as soon as possible, at least in this current state. There is uncertainty in that the return of Zelaya is still in the hands of the National Congress. There are reactions from Honduran blogs:

In the blog Nacer en Honduras [es], Ardegas writes “Will Zelaya be reinstated? That is the floating question,” and looks at some of the possible obstacles before he is returned to power. For example, Ardegas writes that the reinstatement will be ineffective if the Supreme Court does not suspend its pending orders for Zelaya's capture.

Juan Carlos Rivera of Mirada de Halcón [es] believes:

La crisis aún no ha terminado, el acuerdo es, a penas, la puerta hacia la resolución del conflicto. La inestabilidad, la convulsión social, continuará si no retorna Manuel Zelaya Rosales al poder. Esto no lo digo yo. Lo grita la gente que está en la calle. La mayoría de hondureños exige la reintegración del presidente que eligieron en noviembre de 2005.

The crisis is not yet over, the agreement is, barely, the door towards conflict resolution. The instability, social upheaval, will continue if Manuel Zelaya Rosales does not return to power. It is not I who is saying this. It is being yelled in the street. The majority of Hondurans demand the reinstatement of the president that they elected in November 2005.

In the blog Hibueras [es], Gustavo Zelaya calls the signing of the agreement a “Halfway Celebration?” and provides opinion about the interference of the United States in national affairs:

Esto era lo fundamental para muchos, en especial para los gringos encabezados por Shannon y para el resto de los candidatos presidenciales. Y aquí es donde se nota con toda claridad quiénes son los que mandan, ordenan, imponen y deciden en los asuntos nacionales. Ya no sólo les debemos la clasificación al mundial.

This was fundamental for many people, especially for the Americans led by Shannon and for the rest of the presidential candidates. It is here where it is clearly noted who in charge, who gives the orders, who enforces and decides in national matters. Now we don't only owe them (the United States) for the World Cup qualification.

Finally, the blog Honduras en el Mundo [es] writes that “Congress has us waiting:”

Hay que estar vigilantes, y espectantes, la restitución está cerca, pero no hay que confiarse, esperamos que los diputados del Congreso sean consecuentes con el país, que reparen el delito que cometieron, y solucionen este problema, para que de una buena vez sea revertido este golpe de Estado.

One must be vigilant and watchful, reinstatement is near, but one must not get too overconfident, let's hope that the Congressional deputies are consequential with the country, that they repair the crime that they committed, and solve this problem, so that once and for all the coup is reversed.

Translation by Eduardo Ávila

Honduras: Was it a Coup?

Leonidas Mejia — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:27:22 +0000

The political crisis in Honduras reached its highest levels last Sunday with the arrest and subsequent expulsion of the now ex-president Manuel Zelaya, which was carried out by the Honduran Armed Forces under orders of the National Congress and the Supreme Court. These actions have accentuated the divisions within the country and has plunged the country into a historical political and social chaos.

Photo of Anti-Zelaya march taken by Roberto Brevé and used under a Creative Commons license. http://www.flickr.com/photos/breve/3684627699/

The origin of the crisis was the popular consultation promoted by the Executive Branch in order to ask the country whether or not they agree that a new Constitution should be written. For some, the proposal is part of the participative democracy that the country needs, but for others, it was a smokescreen that hides the reelection aspirations of Zelaya, meaning, a clear violation of the country's Constitution.

A delegation from the Organization of American States, led by its Secretary-General, Jose Miguel Insulza has been in the capital city of Tegucigalpa to ask for the reinstatement of Zelaya. However, it appears that Congressional leaders are saying that the removal is “irreversible.” As a result, the country may be expelled from the OAS, and may face sanctions.

In Mirada de Halcón [es], Carlos Rivera writes:

La encuesta, que no tiene ningún peso legal, porque no es un plebiscito, tampoco es un referéndum, simplemente es una consulta popular”. Si gana el “no”, pues, lógicamente, los ciudadanos habrán expresado que no desean una nueva Constitución. Si gana el “sí”, entonces, la historia será diferente a partir de ahora.

The survey does not have legal standing, because it is not a plebiscite or a referendum, it is simply a popular consultation. If the “no” wins, logically, the citizens would have expressed that they do not want a new Constitution. If the “yes” wins, then, history would be different from now on.

David Moran of El Catracho [es] writes that there was a coup:

La encuesta que no es otra cosa que un referéndum, el cual pide el SI para una Constituyente. Algo ilegítimo según la actual Constitución hondureña; y por si fuera poco, un SI promocionado nada menos que por el propio Presidente de la República y su gabinete de gobierno ¿Qué significa esto? ¿Quién violó el orden Constitucional? O mejor dicho ¿Quién dio el Golpe?

The consultation, which was nothing else but a referendum, which did call for a YES for a Constituent Assembly. This was something illegitimate according to the current Honduran Constitution; and for little else, a YES promoted by the very President and his cabinet. What does this mean? Who violated the Constitutional order? Who better said, who carried out the coup?

The transitional government led by Roberto Micheletti, named president by the National Congress states that the procedure was carried out entirely legally under Honduran law . However, for part of the Honduran population and almost the entire international community, they are clearly calling this a coup that has destroyed the young democracy of the country.

In La Honduras Posible [es], Margarita Montes writes:

Este caso no se puede catalogar como un “golpe de Estado”, ya que no cumple con dos rasgos fundamentales de dicho fenómeno político: toma del poder por parte del estamento militar y quebrantamiento del Estado de Derecho.

This case cannot be described as a “coup d'état,” because it does not meet two fundamental characteristics of this political event: the taking of power by part of the military and the violation of the rule of law.

Rubén Escobar of La Búsqueda [es] asks the following questions:

Si no fue un golpe de estado ¿Por qué Manuel Zelaya Rosales no está en el país siendo juzgado?¿por qué detuvieron a los ministros y enviaron a la canciller Patricia Rodas a México? ¿Por qué cerraron canal 8 y no permitieron ver CNN, mientras encadenaban las radios para que no informaran? ¿Por qué se inventaron una carta que fue firmada el jueves 25 de junio?

If it was not a coup, then why is Manuel Zelaya Rosales not in the country being tried? Why did they arrest cabinet members and send the foreign minister Patricia Rodas to Mexico? Why did they close Channel 8 and not allow CNN to transmit, while they chained up radio stations so that they would not inform? Why did they invent a letter (of Zelaya's resignation) that was signed Thursday, June 25?

The blog Periodico el Inventario [es] writes:

Nosotros no nos sentíamos ni representados, ni identificados con El Presidente Zelaya, pero menos aún con los militares, con Micheletti o cualquiera de ese grupo ultraconservador que hoy asaltó el poder.

We did not feel represented by or identify with President Zelaya, but even less with the military, with Micheletti or any ultra-conservative group that took over power.

Finally, the coverage of the international media during the conflict has generated discussion, especially from CNN, which according to many had not been impartial. In Desde Tegus [es], we can see some comments about this topic in this open letter to a CNN reporter, which asserts that they “misinformed the entire world.”

Carlos Viaux adds a comment:

La actitud de CNN en Español el domingo 28 cubriendo el golpe de Estado en Honduras es una clase magistral para estudiantes acerca del periodismo que desprestigia la profesión. Pero, ni su corresponsal en esa capital ni sus editores o conductores exigieron a ninguno de sus entrevistados actores de la asonada cívico-militar copia o tener a la vista la carta que se leyó en el Parlamento hondureño atribuida al Presidente Zelaya, en la que éste supuestamente renunciaba.

The behavior of CNN in Spanish on Sunday the 28th, which covered the coup in Honduras is a graduate-level class for journalism students on how to provide discredit to the profession. Neither their correspondent in the capital city, nor their editors or anchors asked any of their interviewees from the civic-military government for a copy or to see the letter that the Honduran parliament read that was attributed to President Zelaya, in which he supposedly resigned.

Honduras: Political Crisis Over Controversial Referendum

Leonidas Mejia — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:10:52 +0000

Honduras is going through one of its most difficult moments of its political history. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya removed General Romeo Vásquez Velásquez as Chief of the Armed Forces [es] and accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Edmundo Orellana Mercado. The announcement was made after meeting with military leaders of the armed forces to seek protection of the polls for the referendum that has been promoted by the executive branch to be held on Sunday, June 28, 2009. This referendum will decide whether or not a Constituent Assembly is convened in order to write a new Constitution.

General Vázquez Velazquez found himself in a difficult situation, because the request or order of the President as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, contrasted with the conclusion reached by both the National Congress and the Supreme Court, that the referendum is illegal. Soon after the removal of General Vázquez Velazquez, Army Commander General Miguel Garcia Padgett, commander of the Naval Force, Rear Admiral John Paul Rodriguez, and Air Force commander, General Luis Javier Prince Suazo resigned from their posts.

In the streets of cities such as Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, there is prevailing tension and anxiety of not knowing what will happen next, with charges of a coup d'etat and lack of support of democracy in the country, from both supporters and opponents. This is seen most in the capital of Tegucigalpa, where businesses and schools were closed, gas stations and supermarkets full of people looking for supplies, and a military presence on the streets to prevent disturbances.

Hondurans have been using their blogs and social networking sites like Facebook, Blipea and Twitter to give their thoughts on the situation and to inform the country and world about the course of events.

Irina Vanessa Orellana of La Vida es Bella Aunque No Me Creas [es] writes this post to document what is happening:

Escribo este post, principalmente para dejar una huella en la historia que estamos viviendo, esperando dentro de poco tiempo poder leer el mismo, con la satisfacción de que sólo estamos pasando por un mal momento, esperando que lo que se viene, no sea nada parecido a lo que otros latinoamericanos ya tienen en Venezuela o Nicaragua….escribo con el miedo que muchos y muchas hondureñas estamos sintiendo, al ver que este frágil sistema democrático se nos está yendo de las manos. Ojalá que no pase nada peor!

I am writing this post, primarily to leave a mark on history about what we are experiencing, waiting to read the same in the near future, with the satisfaction that we are only going through a rough patch, hoping that what is coming, is nothing like what other Latin Americans like Venezuela or Nicaragua is going through… I write with the fear that many Hondurans are feeling when they see this fragile democratic system is passing through our fingers. Hopefully nothing worse happens!

However, there is a great deal of criticism for Zelaya. David Morán of El Catracho [es] writes that the president's actions are not helping the current Constitution:

El irreversible presidente que tenemos arguye que nuestra Constitución ha sido pisoteada por los grupos facticos del país; pero él, en vez de hacer que se respete, pretende, luego del ultraje a que ha sido sometida, darle el tiro de gracia y asesinarla, esto con el fin de instaurar una asamblea constituyente que redacte otra, una que emule el sistema de represión socialista y paternal que existe en Cuba, sumiéndonos en una situación peor a la actual donde todos corremos el riesgo de perder nuestras libertades individuales.

The irreversible president has argued that our Constitution has been trampled by fanatical groups in the country, but he, instead of respecting the Constitution, intends, after the outrage that has expressed, shot and killed it, this in order to establish a constituent assembly to draft another document, one that emulates a repressive socialist and paternal system that exists in Cuba, placing us in a situation, worse to the one where we are today where we all risk losing our individual freedoms.

However, there are some supporters of the referendum, like the blogger at Honduras en el Mundo [es] who writes that voting is a way to find out about how much support there is and that people should just vote “No” if they do not agree. He also criticizes the opposition for “campaigns of terror” and the hints of a coup for opposing the change that many people want. In addition, Juan Carlos Rivera of Mirada de Halcon [es] criticizes the media and the press for their role:

En Honduras, como siempre ha ocurrido, la prensa, controlada por grupos conservadores, recurre a las herramientas más burdas para frenar cualquier movimiento que implique un cambio de la estructura política puesto que supone, para ellos, la pérdida de privilegios, comodidades y recursos materiales, obtenidos, en la mayoría de los casos, de manera irregular.

In Honduras, something which has always happened, the press, controlled by conservative groups, use the crudest tools to halt any movement that involves a change in the political structure that means, for them, the loss of privileges, comforts and material resources, usually obtained by irregular means.

This developing crisis in Honduras is not getting the media exposure that other countries receive like Iran, writes La Gringa's Blogicito.

Olga Iris Mencia B. of Hibueras [es] provides the opinion that the events in Honduras are necessary to wake the country up and wonders about its future:

Lo que está pasando ahora en el país es lo que debe ser. Sin cambiar un ápice, con las renuncias debidas, con las destituciones dadas, con el apoyo de la gente, con las burlas de las oligarquías, con la indiferencia de la inconsciencia, con la movilización armada oficial, con los enojos del legislativo, con la corruptela tradicional del poder judicial, con el presidente y su personalidad. Cada hecho es un paso hacia el fortalecimiento de la soberanía. Cada hecho es un paso más hacía la agudización de la crisis, a ver más claro que la ciencia es ciencia y que la historia es irreversible aunque se juzgue cíclica, Que pasará en Honduras?

La historia se escribe cada día.

What is happening now in the country is what should be happening. Without changing one detail, with the due resignations, with the removals, with the support of the people, with the mockery from the oligarchies, the indifference of unconsciousness, with the mobilization of the armed officials, with the anger of the legislature, with the traditional corruption of the judiciary, the president and his personality. Each event is a step towards the strengthening of sovereignty. Each event is a step towards the exacerbation of the crisis, to see more clearly that science is science, and that history is irreversible event though it is judged to be cyclical. What will happen in Honduras?

History writes itself each day.

Honduras: Strong Earthquake Shakes Country

Leonidas Mejia — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:05:52 +0000

Honduras awoke early in the morning of May 28 when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale shook the country. The epicenter was located 130 kilometers northeast of the city of La Ceiba, along the Atlantic Ocean coast. At 2:24 a.m. local time, the earthquake caused residents to emerge from their houses in the darkness in order to find safety. Five deaths were confirmed, more injured, and slowly there is the discovery of damages to the country's infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and highways.

Microblogging platforms like Blipea and Twitter were the first to report the earthquake from users in San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba. Many reported on the situation around them using the hashtag #temblorHN (earthquakeHN).

Yamil Gonzalez @yamilg wrote:

hable con mi tia que vive en la ceiba dice que estuvo fuertísimo se asustaron bastante, los adornos y todo eso se cayeron al piso #temblorHN

I spoke with my aunt who lives in La Ceiba who said it was strong and they were very scared, the decorations and everything else fell to the ground #temblor HN

Roberto @roberto wrote:

yo escuchaba que el armario se mecía casi salgo corriendo a la calle

I heard the cupboard rocking and I almost left running out to the street

Jagbolanos @jagbolanos wrote:

Me desperto, estoy esperando por si hay replicas

I am awake, waiting just in case there are aftershocks

Some Honduran bloggers were not able to immediately update their blogs because of the energy and internet outages in their communities. However, Janpedrano Blog [es] was one of the first to provide information about the earthquake receiving updates from friends and family. He received a phone call from his brother:

Mientras estaba al teléfono con el, mi messenger parecía árbol de navidad con mensaje tras mensaje de familiares y amigos en San Pedro Sula dejándome saber que es lo que estaba pasando. Incluso una amiga que vive en Suiza me mando un mensaje para ver si yo ya sabia del mismo. La palabra que creo fue el común denominador en todos estos mensajes fue “horrible”, ya que pues fue una sacudida que pues la mayor parte de la gente jamás había experimentado. Mi mama vive en Roatán por lo que la llame para ver como estaba, y pues igual fuera del susto estaba bien.

While I was on the phone with him, my (MSN) Messenger looked like a Christmas tree with message after message from relatives and friends in San Pedro Sula letting me know what was happening. Even a friend from Switzerland sent me a message asking me if I knew about the situation. The word that was the common denominator in those messages was “horrible” because it shook the country and the majority of people never felt anything like it before. My mother lives in Roatán and I called her to see how she was, and apart from the scare, everything was fine.

He also provided updates throughout the day including the collapse of The Democracy Bridge, one of the country's most important bridges [es].

La Gringa's Blogicito was delayed in reporting her impressions because of the lack of electricity, but later wrote that this was her first earthquake she experienced since living in Honduras.

Born in Honduras and its Spanish version Nacer en Honduras [es] provided links from local newspapers. In addition, Interartix [es] shares a map of the epicenter and the tsunami alert that was issued, but later withdrawn.

The various online sites of the national newspapers struggled to remain online because they received many visitors, especially from abroad in the United States and Spain, who were looking for information about family and friends.

Honduras: Sailing Through the “Unknown Honduras”

Leonidas Mejia — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:32:37 +0000

Guillermo Anderson on his blog Bitacora de Honduras [es] take us on a magical trip through the Patuca river and the Atlantic coast of “La Honduras Desconocida” (the Unknown Honduras).

Honduras: Commercial Activity in the 1950s

Leonidas Mejia — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:27:19 +0000

Mario Perez of Honduras Hoy [es] takes us back in time to the capital city of Tegucigalpa of the 1950s, with photographs and names of businesses that flourished more than a half of century ago.

Honduras: Does the Country Need a New Constitution?

Leonidas Mejia — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:58:09 +0000

Honduras President Manuel Zelaya announced a decree calling for a referendum in which Hondurans will decide whether or not a National Constituent Assembly is convened to write and approve a new Constitution. The reasons provided by the President that such a referendum is needed are that there have been significant societal changes during the last few years and that democracy needs to be strengthened. This new consultation called a “fourth ballot box” will take place next November during the general elections.

These developments have resulted in a political hurricane within the country. On one hand there are those who say that it will be the people who approve or disapprove the President's proposal. There are also those in the opposition that believe that the president wants to remain in power indefinitely, and is following in the steps of other leaders in the region.

Mystery Honduras [es] writes:

En el ambiente político Hondureño se destila la hipocresía y cinismo, de aquellos que ahora se hacen llamar defensores de la CONSTITUCIÓN DE LA REPÚBLICA, son los mismos que la han violado cuantas veces han querido, con que moral me pregunto se hacen llamar defensores, utilizan los medios de comunicación que informan lo que les conviene, porque ahora hay que defender los INTERESES de los famosos “GRUPOS DE PODER” los mismos que están en contra de reformar la constitución, será por que perderán el poder político que han gozado durante años?

In the Honduran political environment, hypocracy and cynicism is revealed by those who call themselves defenders of the COUNTRY'S CONSTITUTION, and they are the same ones that have violated it as much as they wanted to, I ask myself with what morals do they call themselves defenders, using the media to inform what is convenient to them, because now they want to defend the INTERESTS of the infamous “GROUPS IN POWER” the same ones that are against reforming the Constitution, could it be because they will lose the political power that they have enjoyed for years?

Blog Lectores [es] adds that Zelaya is taking a cue from some of his fellow Latin American leaders:

El tema está de nuevo en el debate público y el presidente Zelaya no ha escondido sus pretenciones de continuar gobernando. La clase política de Honduras, incluido el mismo Partido Liberal, sostiene que Zelaya pretende reformar la Constitución de la República, por medio de la consulta al pueblo (la cuarta urna), como lo hicieron Hugo Chávez en Venezuela y Evo Morales en Bolivia, para luego perpetuarse en el poder.

The issue is once again in the public debate and President Zelaya has not hidden his aspirations to continue governing. The political class in Honduras, including the same Liberal Party, maintains that Zelaya would like to reform the Constitution through a referendum by the people (the fourth ballot box) just like Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia, in order to remain in power.

Angelus of Honduras en el Mundo [es] writes about standing in the way of the consultation:

Muchos se jactan de ser democráticos, pero cuando dicen que se le consulte al pueblo, saltan con las excusas para oponerse, y es que es tan poca la voluntad de escuchar al pueblo, que increíblemente ni han reglamentado el plesbicito y el referendum en el Congreso Nacional.

Many boast about being democrats, but when they say that the people should be consulted, then they jump in with excuses against it, and that they have so little desire to listen to the people, that incredibly they have not even established the rules for the vote and the referendum in the National Congress.

Finally, Fortalecimiento Democratico [es] thinks that there should be other priorities in the country and asks:

La cuarta urna, ¿para que? Acaso no sabemos que nuestro pueblo de hambre muere y donde están el dinero que ayudaría aliviar la pobreza, donde esta la Justicia, la igualdad, el derecho de expresión de Pensamiento, nuestro derecho a la Seguridad, DONDE ESTA, si el pueblo los eligió cuatro años, respetemos esa voluntad, que estos meses que quedan esa de trabajo en conjunto porque al entrar en una crisis nuestro país todos perdemos, nadie le conviene un caos institucional, POR ESO DEFENDAMOS NUESTRA DEMOCRACIA PORQUE SOMOS GENTE DE PAZ Y ENTONCES PARA QUE LA CUARTA URNA.

The fourth ballot box, for what reason? Don't we know that our country dies of hunger and where is the money that will help alleviate poverty, where is the justice, equality, the right to free speech, our right to security, WHERE IS IT? If the people elected him for four years, we should respect that decision, with the months that are left let us work together because when our country enters into crisis, we all lose, no one benefits from institutional chaos, THAT IS WHY WE DEFEND OUR DEMOCRACY BECAUSE WE ARE PEACEFUL PEOPLE AND SO, WHY A FOURTH BALLOT BOX?

Translation by Eduardo Avila