National

Following a meeting in Tegucigalpa on Wednesday with US Ambassador Hugo Llorens and leaders of Honduras' Liberal Party, former Minister of Defense in the Zelaya administration Edmundo Orellana said in an interview with HRN Radio that the absence of Manuel Zelaya hurts Liberals to the degree that "his presence [in Honduras] is absolutely necessary". Mr. Orellana noted that Mr. Zelaya continues to lead a significant faction within the Liberal Party, and thus if the party ever hopes to fully rebuild itself Mr. Zelaya must return and play an active role in the process as soon as possible. The political crisis fueled by the forced removal of President Zelaya from office last year created sharp divisions within the Liberal Party, with many party members strongly supporting Mr. Zelaya's ousting and others opposing it. These divisions led to the overwhelming win by Nationalist Party candidate Porfirio Lobo in the November 29 presidential election. There is concern within the Liberal Party that if it does not soon reconcile its members, the party will remain so weak that it may be a long time before it can successfully compete in national elections. (3/5/10) (photo of Edmundo Orellana courtesy Internet)

President Porfirio Lobo's Cabinet of Ministers this morning approved by decree the formation of an Office for Information and Social Relations (ORIS) under the Ministry of the Presidency. ORIS will be tasked to serve as a data collection center in support of the Office of the President of Honduras. Those who staff the new institution will have the authority to solicit information from government ministries, agencies, and other public organizations, and those entities will be required by law to comply. A director for ORIS has yet to be appointed. According to President Lobo, ORIS would have no connection to the Ministry of Communications. Its role would be to increase the informational awareness of the President and thus enhance his ability to make good decisions and improve coordination within the government. (3/2/10) (photo of Porfirio Lobo courtesy Internet)

Radio América today reported that the former manager of the National Electrical Power Company (ENEE), Rixi Moncada, arrived this morning for a preliminary hearing with Judge Mario Ríos at a courthouse in Comayagüela. Mrs. Moncada has been charged by the Public Ministry (MP) with abuse of authority and fraud related to the acquisition of the building that houses the administrative offices of ENEE. The MP alleges that, under Mrs. Moncada, ENEE signed a lease worth Lps 16 million on the building when the government had allocated only Lps 7 million. If found guilty, she would face 3-6 years imprisonment for the fraud charge alone. A few hours after Mrs. Moncada's arrival, former Vice-President Arístides Mejía also appeared to testify before Judge Ríos. Mr. Mejía has been charged by the MP with abuse of authority, falsification of public documents, and fraud in the same case.

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Honduras' Public Ministry (MP), headed by Attorney General Luis Rubí, today charged deposed president Manuel Zelaya and members of his administration with mismanagement of public funds. The specific crimes include fraud, falsification of documents, and abuse of authority. The Ministry finds that President Zelaya used an Executive Decree (046-A-2008) in September 2008 to approve the diversion of approximately Lps 30 million from the Honduran Fund for Social Investment (FHIS) to fund a publicity campaign to promote his proposed "fourth ballot box" referendum -- the so-called cuarta urna -- to review and re-write the country's Constitution. Other Zelaya administration officials charged include former Minister of the Presidency Enrique Flores Lanza; former Minister of Finance Rebeca Santos; former Vice-Minister of Finance José Antonio Borjas Masis; and former Director of FHIS Cesar Salgado. (2/23/10) (photo of Luis Rubí courtesy Internet)

United States Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Robert Phillips Corker of Tennessee met yesterday in Tegucigalpa with members of the National Resistance Front against the Coup d'Etat in Honduras, including Juan Barahona, Rafael Alegria, and Marvin Ponce. Following the meeting, Sen. Dodd said that he "left with a good feeling" and that he felt the positions of the resistance movement to be "rational" and was encouraged by their desire to resolve problems peacefully. He noted, "Some want a Constitutional Assembly to fix the Constitution of this country, and that is their point of view", but that he held no opinion on the matter. "Frankly, I cannot say whether or not it is necessary" said the five-term Senator. He further acknowledged that he did not believe the US could resolve Honduras' problems, suggesting that it was up to the Honduran people to come together and find solutions. "I believe it is important in moments like this to find a way to turn the page -- I think it is what the people want" stressed Dodd. (2/22/10) (photo of Christopher Dodd courtesy Internet)

President Porfirio Lobo today said that deposed president Manuel Zelaya should "calm down and quit being such an annoyance to Honduras". Mr. Lobo's comments were in response to a question by a reporter regarding Mr. Zelaya's recent remarks about attending the Rio Summit of Unity of Latin America and the Caribbean in Cancún, Mexico next week to propose adoption of a resolution calling for Honduras to abolish its Armed Forces in order to avoid future breaks in the country's constitutional order. Mr. Lobo was participating in an event commemorating the 36th anniversary of the opening of Hernán Acosta Mejía Air Base in Tegucigalpa. He reiterated that no one can tell Honduras how to manage its internal affairs. (2/19/10)

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First Lady Rosa Elena de Lobo met Wednesday with the director of the National Institute for Women (INAM) María Antonieta de Boto to determine what can be done to reduce the number of women who are murdered in Honduras. The "Day of the Woman" was celebrated in Honduras on February 25. Part of the commemoration ceremonies included a march to the Congressional building in Tegucigalpa to protest the femicide epidemic in the country. Femicide is defined as "the systematic killing of women for various reasons, usually cultural". This troubling pheneomenon is continuing to grow at an alarming rate of 37 percent, with a total of 380 femicidal deaths registered in 2009, compared to 252 for 2008, according to Honduras' National Institute for Women. The rates have consistently climbed in recent years. In 2004, there were 138 reported cases of femicide; 161 in 2005; 185 in 2006; and 149 in 2007. One femicide case is registered every 48 hours in Honduras. (2/18/10)

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The proposed Truth Commission to analyze the events leading up to and transpiring during and since the overthrow of Manuel Zelaya as president on June 28, 2009 is starting to take shape. President Porfirio Lobo met at length on Wednesday with former Guatemala Vice-President Eduardo Stein, who is coordinating the formation of the commission. Also in attendance were attorney and former rector of the National University of Honduras (UNAH) Jorge Omar Casco and the current UNAH rector, Julieta Castellanos Ruiz. There are reports that Professor Sergio Membreño Cedillo of Honduras will serve as the commission's technical secretary, and there is speculation that former Mexican President Vicente Fox may also join the panel. Formation of the commission is expected to be completed by February 25. The group aims to produce a final report this summer. (2/17/10) (photo of Vicente Fox courtesy BBC)

By Howard Rosenzweig
If anyone ever required proof that the Honduran economy is small, poor and weak, take a look at the following statistics. In terms of economically active members of the population, government stats put the number at 3.5 million persons. These are people who work in the formal or informal economy. According to the National Tax Bureau or "DEI", as it is known in Honduras, the country's tax base consists of only 408,000 taxpayers, of which a mere 824 are classified as large taxpayers. Only 1,663 taxpayers are classified as medium and 402,392 are classified as small. I find these to be startling numbers, given that Honduras has a population of almost 8 million. So basically you have a situation where the lion's share of the government's budget is paid by a relative handful of large- and medium-sized businesses and salaried employees. (2/16/10)

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The proposed Truth Commission being formed under the coordination of former Guatemalan Vice-President Eduardo Stein is already coming under scrutiny. Honduras' Commissioner for Human Rights, Ramón Custodio, on Friday expressed concern over comments made by Mr. Stein suggesting that, as part of its work, the commission could make some recommendations for institutional changes aimed at strengthening democracy in Honduras. According to Federico Álvarez, former president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Mr. Stein has said that it may be necessary to revise the process in Honduras by which a president can be removed from power. While Mr. Stein's view may be a simple observation about the need to avoid a repetition of the manner in which Mr. Zelaya was ousted, it raises the question of whether revisions to the Constitution should fall under the perview of the Truth Commission. Mr. Stein will apparently chair the commission, which will include five other people -- two of whom will be Hondurans. The commission is tentatively set to report its findings in June. (2/13/10) (photo of Ramón Custodio courtesy Internet)