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MEMORANDUM

Re: Legal situation of the tiansition goveinment in Bonuuias
Date: }une 29, 2uu9

The following is a summaiy of the events leauing to the foimation of a tiansition
goveinment on }une 28, 2uu9 foi the Republic of Bonuuias.
0n Naich 2S, 2uu9, Piesiuent }os Nanuel Zelaya Rosales, anu his Cabinet, meeting as
Council of Ninisteis (Consejo de Ministros) issueu executive oiuei PCN-uuS-2uu9, in
which he oiueieu the National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de
Estadsticas) to conuuct a "populai consult" on }une 28, 2uu9. The populai consult
woulu ask Bonuuian citizens whethei they wanteu to auu a fouith voting station at
the national piesiuential, municipal, anu congiessional elections to ueciue whethei a
national constitutional assembly shoulu be conveneu. A national constitutional
assembly consists of a special meeting of iepiesentatives who woulu uissolve the
cuiient constitution anu uiaft a new constitution. The Constitution of the Republic of
Bonuuias, in effect since 1982, only contains thiee types of aiticles that may not be
mouifieu by the noimal legislative piocess: those uealing with the bounuaiies of the
national teiiitoiy; those iefeiiing to the iepublican foim of goveinment; anu the
tempoial limits of the piesiuential teim.
As eaily as Apiil, 2uu9, the piesiuent's constitutional law expeits, incluuing attoiney
Efiain Noncaua Silva, auviseu in an inteinal memoianuum that the populai consult
was illegal anu that the 0ffice of the Public Piosecutoi (Ministerio Pblico) woulu be
authoiizeu to piosecute ciiminal pioceeuings foi abuse of authoiity against its
pioponents. In fact the 0ffice of the Public Piosecutoi hau begun its investigations
into the possible illegality of the populai consult since Naich 2S, 2uu9. As a iesult of
these investigations, on Nay 8, 2uu9, the 0ffice of the Attoiney ueneial petitioneu foi
the annulment of executive oiuei PCN-uS-2uu9 in the Auministiative Law Tiibunal
(Juzgado de lo Contencioso Administrativo). In inteiviews iegaiuing this petition, the
Public Piosecutoi ueneial (Fiscal General de la Repblica), Luis Rubi, stateu that any
attempt to convene a national constitutional assembly woulu cieate an iiiegulai
conuition anu woulu itself violate the tenets of the cuiient constitution. The 0ffice of
the Public Piosecutoi also contenueu that the Supieme Electoial Tiibunal (Tribunal
Supremo Electoral) is the only oiganism authoiizeu to conuuct consults oi polls with
electoial puiposes, in accoiuance with aiticle 1S of the Electoral and Political
OrganizationsLaw (Leyelectoralydeorganizacionespolticas).
The piesiuing juuge of the Auministiative Law Couit, }oige Zelaya Zaluaa, enteieu
the petition unuei uocket 1S1-2uu9. Because the 0ffice of the Public Piosecutoi
uemanueu an injunction on the populai consult in oiuei to suspenu the poll of }une

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28, the tiibunal consiueieu the injunction befoie consiueiing the meiits of the case
anu issuing a final sentence.
In this piocess, the 0ffice of the State Attoiney (ProcuraduraGeneraldelaRepblica),
as the legal iepiesentative of the State, inteiceueu in the case, but stateu a position, in
agieement with the claims of the 0ffice of the Public Piosecutoi. In light of the
foiegoing, on Nay 12, 2uu9, the Auministiative Law Tiibunal gianteu the injunction
on the giounus that theie was a gieat likelihoou that the populai consult was illegal
anu that the injunction was necessaiy to pievent the populai consult since its
execution woulu cause iiiepaiable uamage. This uecision effectively banneu the
populai consult until a final uecision on the meiits was issueu.
Notwithstanuing the foiegoing, the Piesiuent continueu with his activities in
piepaiation of the populai consult. Bowevei, he maue no fuithei executive oiueis in
oiuei to avoiu any legal claims. It was not until }une 2S, 2uu9 that the Piesiuent issueu
executive oiuei PCN-u19-2uu9, which cancelleu executive oiuei PCN-uS-2uu9.
Immeuiately following the cancellation oiuei, on Thuisuay, }une 26, 2uu9 the
Piesiuent anu his Council of Ninisteis issueu a new executive oiuei PCN-u2u-2uu9,
1

this time oiueiing a "populai poll" on }une 28, 2uu9 with the same question as the
pievious populai consult, about the installation of the national constitutional
assembly. The new populai poll oiuei alleges that unuei aiticle S, numeial 1, of the
Citizen Paiticipation Law (Leydeparticipacinciudadana) Zelaya's Ninisteis collecteu
signatuies petitioning foi the populai consult in Naich. Nonetheless, the
Auministiative Law Tiibunal concluueu that the Citizen Paiticipation Law uoes not
give the Piesiuent, oi any othei citizen, poweis to make any consultations in violation
of the Electoial anu Political 0iganizations Law. Theiefoie, executive oiuei PCN-u2u-
2uu9, even with the name change, still violates the sentence of the Auministiative Law
Tiibunal. This tiibunal also iefeiieu to executive oiuei PCN-u27-2uu9 in a sepaiate
oiuei authoiizing the Bonuuian Aii Foice to place into custouy the poll mateiials on
the giounu that the piesiuent's effoit to obtain them also constituteu a violation of the
juuicial uecision.
In oiuei to claiify the issue fuithei, the Auministiative Law Tiibunal stateu that its
oiuei baiieu any act taken in fuitheiance of the illegal poll of the last Sunuay in }une.
This piohibiteu any action ielateu to executive oiueis PCN-u19-2uu9, PCN-2u-2uu9,
anu PCN-u27-2uu9 oi to the authoiization foi the Bonuuian Aii Foice to take custouy
of the poll mateiials.

1
Theie is some confusion as to this last populai poll oiuei, because it is labeleu as if it weie signeu into
effect on }une 26, but it was simultaneously publisheu at the same time as the cancellation oiuei in the
same euition of the official gazette on }une 2S, 2uu9.

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Asiue fiom the uiiect juuicial piocesses, all of the State institutions, with the exception
of the Executive Bianch, issueu opinions ueclaiing the illegality of the poll, incluuing
the Supieme Electoial Tiibunal, the National Congiess, anu the National
Commissionei foi Buman Rights. Nost piivate oiganizations, incluuing the Bonuuian
Bai Association (Colegio de Abogados de Honduras), the Tegucigalpa Chambei of
Commeice anu Inuustiy (Cmara de Comercio e Industria de Tegucigalpa), anu the
Bonuuian Council foi Piivate Enteipiise (Consejo Hondureo de la Empresa Privada),
agieeu that the poll was illegal.
The Auministiative Law Tiibunal officially notifieu all of the paities involveu in the
oiganization of the poll to cease any action in violation of its sentence ueclaiing the
poll illegal. Aftei being notifieu by the juuiciaiy of its uecision, the Chief of the }oint
Nilitaiy Council (Jefe del Estado Mayor Conjunto) of the Aimeu Foices, expiesseu to
the Piesiuent his ieseivations about commanuing the Aimeu Foices to obey an illegal
oiuei. As a iesult, the Piesiuent's uismisseu the Chief of the }oint Nilitaiy Council.
0pon leaining of the uismissal, the 0ffice of the Public Piosecutoi immeuiately
petitioneu the Supieme Couit of }ustice to ueclaie the iemoval unconstitutional. The
Supieme Couit of }ustice agieeu with this claim, holuing that the iefusal to obey an
illegal oiuei is not legal giounus foi uismissal. In soliuaiity against the illegal
uestitution, the Chief of the Bonuuian Aii Foice, Luis Piince, the Chief of the Aimy,
Niguel Paugett, anu the Chief of the Naval Foice, }uan Pablo Rouiiguez, all submitteu
theii iesignations to the Piesiuent. The Piesiuent's Ninistei of Befense also iesigneu
as a iesult of the uismissal of the Chief of the }oint Nilitaiy Council.
Bespite the manifesteu ueclaiations of the poll's illegality, the Piesiuent anu his
Ninisteis continueu theii actions in fuitheiance of the poll. These actions iesulteu in
wiuespieau piotests anu open confiontation between the uiffeient goveinment
institutions. . Neanwhile, the 0ffice of the Piosecutoi anu the Supieme Electoial
Tiibunal began to confiscate the poll mateiial, in compliance with the oiueis of }uuge
Baneiy Antonio Neual Rauuales of the Auministiative Law Tiibunal. Bowevei, the
Piesiuent uefieu the confiscation, anu leauing a mob of people, enteieu the
waiehouses of the Bonuuian Aii Foice, wheie the mateiial hau been confiscateu, anu
seizeu it by foice to pioceeu with the poll.
The Supieme Couit of }ustice helu that Zelaya hau commiteu vaiious ciimes as a
iesult of the poll anu issueu an oiuei foi his uetention by the Aimeu Foices. Puisuant
to this oiuei, the Aimeu Foices aiiesteu Zelaya on the moining of }une 28, 2uu9. The
Piesiuent was escoiteu to a plane, anu left the countiy towaius Costa Rica. Buiing this
time, the 0ffice of the Piosecutoi gatheieu eviuence at the multiple poll centeis to
pioceeu with ciiminal accusations against the poll oiganizei, foi ciimes ianging fiom
tieason, uisobeuience, anu malfeasance with iegaiu to public funus.

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That afteinoon, the National Congiess openeu a special session anu ieau a iesignation
lettei signeu by the Piesiuent. Congiess appioveu the lettei anu suspenueu the
session. Following this vote, the National Congiess unanimously appioveu a law
impeaching the Piesiuent's conuuct anu iemoving him fiom his office. Because the
vice-piesiuent hau iesigneu in 2uu7, the Constitution of the Republic states that it is
the Piesiuent of Congiess that must assume the office of Piesiuent of the Republic.
Consequently Robeito Nicheletti Bain, then the Piesiuent of Congiess, was swoin in
as Piesiuent of the Republic. Theieaftei, anu because of the vacancy of the office of
Piesiuent of the National Congiess, }os Alfieuo Saaveuia was also swoin in as
Piesiuent of Congiess at the same session.