Military coup in Honduras

Honduran military ousts president ahead of vote
By WILL WEISSERT and FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writers

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Soldiers ousted the democratically elected president of Honduras on Sunday
and Congress named a successor, but the leftist ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced what he called an illegal coup and vowed to stay in power.

The first military takeover of a Central American government in 16 years drew widespread condemnation
from governments in Latin America and the world, and Chavez vowed to overthrow the country’s apparent
new leader.

President Manuel Zelaya was awakened Sunday by gunfire and detained while still in his pajamas, hours before an unpopular constitutional referendum many saw as a power grab. An air force plane flew him into forced exile in Costa Rica as armored military vehicles with machine guns rolled through the streets of the Honduran capital and soldiers seized the national palace.

“I want to return to my country,” Zelaya said in Costa Rica. “I am president of Honduras.”

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Originally posted: Military coup in Honduras

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