Comments on: Rule Of Law

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:23:51 +0000

MeMiMoMum, El Jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas is the “commander-in-chief” while El Jefe del Estado Mayor General de las Fuerzas Armadas is the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. If the commander-in-chief’s position is open for any reason, the chairman of the joint chiefs fills in. Only the commander-in-chief is appointed by congress.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:22:10 +0000

Doesn’t even take into account his pronouncement that he had the right to tap everyone’s telephones, and to require all radio and television stations to carry two hours of his rants every day.

He stopped sending budgets to the congress and just spent money however he felt like, including the money he got from Chavez without even a note to the congress telling them what he was up to.

This constitution was passed at the end of the last military dictatorship, and it really demonstrates the national paranoia about anyone being president for more than 4 years.

By: Badtux

Badtux — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:12:19 +0000

Well, looks like I was right about the "coup" in Honduras actually being a case of a President blatantly violating the Constitution and getting kicked out. Not one, but TWO articles of the Honduran Constitution got violated. Wow. .-= ´s last blog ..Faggot-knockin' is the new nigger-knockin' =-.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:29:58 +0000

Actually, MeMiMoMum those are different positions in the Honduran military. The Defense Minister and the chiefs of staff all resigned, but the commander-in-chief is above them and is hired and fired by Congress.

I would note that his, the commander-in-chief’s, reaction to the President firing him was to file a lawsuit, not to ring the presidential palace with tanks, and the service heads resigned when ordered to. Not much of a military coup.

Article 42-5 is probably what they will arrest Zelaya for if he returns.

When all you’ve ever done in Spanish is take trips to Baja California to fix your nephew’s vehicles, reading someone else’s constitution is a bit daunting.

By: MeMiMoMum

MeMiMoMum — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:20:47 +0000

You might also look at the 5th number in article 42, which believe it or not, suggests loss of citizenship “for inciting, promoting, or abetting the continuation or re-election of the President of the Republic”…

ARTICULO 42.- La calidad de ciudadano se pierde:
5. Por incitar, promover o apoyar el continuismo o la reelección del Presidente de la República;

By: MeMiMoMum

MeMiMoMum — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:49:01 +0000

Not sure that your synopsis is still valid.
http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Honduras/hond05.html
Lists more recent changes
In particular, Article 280 now gives:

ARTICULO 280.- El Secretario(a) de Estado en el Despacho de Defensa Nacional, será nombrado o removido libremente por el presidente de la República; en igual forma lo será el Jefe del Estado Mayor Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas, quien será seleccionado por el Presidente de la República, entre los miembros que integran la Junta de Comandantes de las Fuerzas Armadas, de conformidad con lo que establece el Escalafón de Oficiales, prescrito en la Ley Constitutiva de las Fuerzas Armadas.
* Modificado por Decreto 163/1982 y ratificado por Decreto 10/1984.
* Modificado por Decreto 245/1998 y ratificado por Decreto 2/1999.

Which seems to say the Presidente can remove the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The original 1982 doc: http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Honduras/hond82.html
has for #279:

ARTICULO 279.- El Jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas deberá ser un oficial General o Superior con el grado de Coronel de la Armas o su equivalente, en servicio activo, hondureño de nacimiento y será elegido por el Congreso Nacional de una terna propuesta por el Consejo Superior de las Fuerzas Armadas. Durará en sus funciones cinc años y sólo podrá ser removido de su cargo por el Congreso Nacional, cuando hubiere sido declarado con lugar a formación de causa por dos tercios de votos de sus miembros; y en los demás casos previstos por la ley Constitutiva de las fuerzas Armadas. No podrá ser elegido Jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas ningún pariente del Presidente de la República o de sus sustitutos legales, dentro del cuarto grado de consanguinidad o segundo de afinidad.

Which says that the term in 5 years, and can only be removed by Congress.