Honduran military forces have ousted President Manuel Zelaya and exiled him to Costa Rica hours before a controversial constitutional referendum vote was set to begin. Organization of American States met in emergency session while the Obama administration expressed concern over events in the Central American nation.
Hounduran lawmakers named their leader, Roberto Micheletti, to replace President Zelaya. U.S. officials quickly responded that they will recognize no other president than Zelaya.

President Zelaya says Honduran troops forcibly removed him from his home in the dead of night and sent him to Costa Rica in his pajamas.

The expulsion came on the day President Zelaya had chosen for a referendum on whether to change the constitution to allow him to run for a second term in office. The president pressed ahead with the vote in defiance of Honduras' Supreme Court, which had declared the measure illegal.

In a news conference at the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, Zelaya said he is the victim of a coup.

The Honduran leader said he has been kidnapped with violence and brutality, which he termed an affront to the entire world that brings back memories of past dictatorships in the Americas. Appearing alongside Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, Zelaya said he wants to return to Honduras as president and that he is counting on the support of all democratic governments, including that of the United States.

In Washington, President Obama issued a statement saying he is "deeply concerned" by events in Honduras. He urged all political and social actors in the country to respect democratic norms, the rule of law, and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Hondurans to respect their country's constitutional order.

Blocks away from the White House, the Organization of American States met in an emergency session. Honduras' ambassador to the body [Carlos Sosa Coello] demanded what he termed an "emphatic condemnation" of the coup.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza echoed the call: Inzulza said what has occurred is a military coup that must be condemned with energy. He said the OAS must issue a clear demand for a return to constitutional order and insist that human rights be respected.

President Zelaya is a political ally of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who pledged to do everything possible to reverse the coup.
Honduras is to hold presidential elections in November. The country's 1982 constitution bans President Zelaya's re-election.


Honduras coup has drawn concern from other Latin American countries.

Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia ,Bolivia, Paraguay, Nicaragua and El Salvador have condemned the coup and refused to recognize the new government. They have also called for Zelaya's immediate reinstatement.

CAN COLLECTIVE INTERVENTION MECHANISM WORK THIS TIME?

Shortly after the coup, the regional collective intervention mechanism was set in motion through the mediation of such multilateral bodies as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Union of South American Nations and the Rio Group.

The OAS, for example, held an emergency meeting Sunday, calling on the international community to act to halt the "serious disruption of the democratic process of the continent."

It also plans to call a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss how to respond to the latest political crisis in Honduras.

Latin America was plagued by coups until the 1980s. Since then, most countries in the region have achieved peaceful transitions from military to civilian rule. There is a prevailing consensus in the region that any political differences should be resolved through dialogue and legal means under the constitutional framework.

And any attempt to try to resolve internal disputes through violence or even coups is a violation of the democratic mechanism and runs counter to the Inter-American Democratic Charter signed in 2001.

In recent years, Latin American countries have greatly enhanced their ability to tackle regional issues through multilateral mediation and intervention. When Colombia's cross-border attack against rebels triggered a serious diplomatic crisis with Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua in early 2008, Latin American countries succeeded in brokering reconciliation between the four countries at a Rio Group summit, thus preventing a potential escalation of tensions in the region.

Also when Bolivia's political situation was plunged into turmoil in September 2008, Latin American leaders voiced their support for Bolivian President Evo Morales and warned that any violation of the country's constitution and democratic process would not be tolerated. They also sent observers and diplomats to Bolivia for mediation efforts between the Bolivian government and the opposition, which finally brought the two sides back onto the track of democratic mechanisms.

With their success in resolving a series of crises in the region, the collective mediation and intervention mechanism has entered a period of maturity, playing an active role in safeguarding regional stability and the democratic process as well as boosting regional integration.

The Honduran coup poses a new test for this mechanism. What Latin American countries will do next is now the focus of international attention. Observers are waiting to see how it would work this time and how much success it would achieve.