Hondurans vote for post-coup president

29 Nov 2009, 5:53 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Hondurans will vote for the first time since President Manuel Zelaya was forced out of the country, in a climate around polls which have divided the Americas.

Hondurans will vote for the first time since President Manuel Zelaya was forced out of the country in June, in a tense climate around polls which have divided the Americas.

The holding of the general elections on Sunday with Zelaya out of office - and holed up in the Brazilian embassy where he reappeared in September - marks a victory for those behind his ouster, including business leaders, the courts and Congress.

After a subdued campaign alongside post-coup crisis talks and a string of small bomb attacks, the de facto regime has sought to calm a fearful population to encourage them to vote and legitimise the polls.

The United States, which froze millions of dollars of aid and condemned the coup, has decided to back the polls, to the disappointment of many in Latin America, particularly powerhouse Brazil.

Costa Rica, which mediated initial crisis talks, Panama and Peru have also suggested they will back the elections.

The de facto leaders have called on dozens of independent observers, including Cuban exiles, right-wing US groups and Japanese diplomats to help monitor the vote, after the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) declined to assist.

The region's worst crisis in years has revived left-right political disputes.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher, swung to the left and allied with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after taking office.

The polls are set to bring impoverished Honduras back to more familiar territory for the ruling elite.

The two favourites are from conservative parties which have traded leadership of Honduras for years, and have close ties to the powerful military.

The frontrunner is broad-grinned 61-year-old Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo, from the National Party, who narrowly lost to Zelaya in 2005.

Elvin Santos, a 46-year-old civil engineer in second place in pre-poll surveys, was previously Zelaya's vice president in the divided Liberal Party.

Levels of participation and the running of the polls will be key in evaluations of the vote's credibility.

Some 30,000 soldiers and police are to provide security for the elections.

Many fear further violence following a heavy-handed crackdown on Zelaya supporters since the coup, and recent bomb attacks.

De facto leader Roberto Micheletti, who has stepped down briefly for the electoral period, on Saturday accused Zelaya's backers of secretly setting up bombs to disturb the polls.

Zelaya supporters have called for people to stay at home in a boycott and to avoid being blamed for possible clashes.

Rights groups have meanwhile complained of an environment of intimidation and fear. They condemned several deaths and dozens of arrests in the aftermath of the coup.

A non-governmental organisation in central Honduras, Red Comal, on Saturday said more than 50 security forces had raided its offices and accused its members of seeking to disrupt the polls.

Polling stations are due to open at 7am on Sunday (2400 AEDT) and close at 4pm (0900 AEDT on Monday).

Amid a climate of fear, it was unclear how many of the 4.6 million eligible voters would actually turn out.

Gardner Olmer Vascos complained of a climate of fear but said he would vote to help the country overcome the crisis.

"I hope that the situation will improve after Sunday," Vascos said.

As for Zelaya, the Congress was due to vote on his brief reinstatement - before his term runs out in January - on December 2.

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