Foreign
Tourists In Honduras Head For
Home Amid Worries Over Political Situation
Tegucigalpa - A large
number of foreign tourists are leaving
Honduras due to worries that the upcoming
referendum in Honduras may add new elements
of uncertainty to the country's political
situation, local newspaper El Heraldo
reported Saturday.
Tensions are rising in Honduras, where a
referendum scheduled for Sunday on changing
the country's constitution has put President
Manuel Zelaya at odds with the military, the
courts and the legislature.
Many tourists ended their tours in Honduras
and flooded into the airport for flights
that could take them home since Friday. But
sudden downpours on Saturday afternoon
blocked the way of some, most of whom are
from North America.
In today's (Sunday) vote, Hondurans will be asked
whether they would back an official
referendum in November, to be held alongside
the scheduled presidential election, to
change the constitution to allow a president
to seek reelection.
Zelaya, in power since 2006, said he would
not run for a second term. His current term
expires in January next year.
But oppositions accused Zelaya of violating
the country's laws by issuing a decree to
hold the referendum. They said they would
ask the Congress to declare him unfit to
rule.
The Supreme Court and the attorney general
have announced that Sunday's vote is
illegal.
On the military side, Zelaya announced
Wednesday that he had fired the country's
top military officer, Gen. Romeo Vasquez,
for not backing him, but the supreme court
on Thursday ordered the general reinstated.
Zelaya said in a television interview on
Friday he would order the army to remain in
barracks during the voting period. He told
reporters that he was confident Sunday's
vote would go calmly. |
