Skip to main content

Ousted Honduran ex-president ready to return

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Manuel Zelaya is prepared to return to Honduras, an ally says
  • He was deposed nearly two years ago in a coup
  • A political party that supports him wants certain criteria met first

(CNN) -- Almost two years after being ousted from power, ex-Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is ready to return to his homeland, a supporter and political leader told CNN en Espaņol.

Zelaya, who has most recently been in exile in the Dominican Republic following the June 28, 2009 coup that pushed him out, plans on returning to Honduras before June 5. That is the date for the start of the regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States.

Honduras has been excluded from the regional body since the coup, in part because Zelaya has not been allowed to return home without fear of prosecution. He faced corruption charges, which were dropped earlier this month.

Juan Barahona, a leader of the pro-Zelaya National Popular Resistance Front, said that Zelaya would return if certain requirements were met.

The party is asking for the end of all persecution of Zelaya and the return to Honduras of his political allies who are also in exile. Many of Zelaya's former staff, such as ex-foreign minister Patricia Rodas, left because they faced political persecution, Barahona said.

Zelaya's supporters also want the right to call for Constitutional reforms, though it was unclear what reforms they wanted. It was Zelaya's desire in 2009 to hold a referendum that could have led to extending term limits by changing the constitution that put him at odds with the judiciary and the legislature and led to the coup.

Human rights violations must be investigated, Barahona said, and there must be guarantees that the National Popular Resistence Front can compete in the 2014 elections as a political party.

It was unclear how the segment of society who supported his ouster -- in many cases the country's business and upper class -- would react to a return by the ex-president.

The de facto government that replaced Zelaya was eventually replaced by the elected government of current President Porfirio Lobo. But because the election happened under the rule of the de facto forces, some countries have not recognized the result of the election.

Many countries, including the United States, have recognized the Lobo government, while others, such as Brazil, have not.

Zelaya's return could help further re-integrate Honduras into the international community.

"Now that the obstacles to former President Zelaya's return to Honduras have been removed, I am confident that we will soon welcome Honduras back as a full member of the inter-American system," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at speech Wednesday. "That is a step that is long overdue."

CNN's Maria Elisa Callejas contributed to this report.

 
Quick Job Search