Honduran president deposed in coup (Updated)

Update (11.00pm):

In his acceptance speech, faux-president Roberto Micheletti remained defiant over the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya:

THE newly-appointed leader of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, denies there has been a coup d'etat, saying President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a legal process.

"What we have done here is an act of democracy, because our army has complied with the order of the court, prosecutors and judges," Mr Micheletti said, winning loud applause from MPs.

"Our national army ... complied with the constitution".

Micheletti would later order a curfew to be established from 9pm to 6am on Sunday and Monday. He also said that he would attempt to serve the rest of Zelaya's term (until January 2010) and that presidential elections will take place in November.

Widespread international condemnation of the coup continued on Sunday from the United Nations and the Organization of American States. The lone foreign voice backing the coup is this op/ed piece in the Wall Street Journal that tries to use Zelaya's miscues (of which there were several) to justify the grossly undemocratic and inexcusable coup.

Update (5.30pm):

A statement by the Honduran Congress claimed that Manuel Zelaya was not arrested by the military but rather he tended his resignation this morning. The communique would go on to say that the legislature named congressional President Roberto Micheletti as the temporary head of state.

For his part, Zelaya claimed that he was "kidnapped", denited that he resigned, and he urged the global community to condemn today's coup d'etat.

With varying degrees of anger, the international community has repudiated today's actions in Honduras. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on "all parties in Honduras...to resolve political disputes peacefully and through dialogue" while the European Union said that today's coup is an "unacceptable violation of constitutional order in Honduras." Argentine president Cristina Kirchner lamented that the coup marked "a return to barbarity" while Venezuela's Hugo Chavez warned that he "put the armed forces of Venezuela on alert" in case of Venezuelan interests become compromised.

A nonbinding referendum scheduled to occur today on having a possible constitutional assembly was reportedly cancelled by the Honduran Supreme Court.

Original Post:

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was removed from his post by the country’s military this morning:

Details are still sketchy, but what has been reported that Zelaya was taken by troops from the presidential residence and forced into exile in Costa Rica. There have been some disturbances in the country, the government-backed media was suspended, and police fired teargas at about 500 supporters. The local press said that Zelaya will be temporarily replaced by the head of Congress and it’s been alleged that ambassadors of states like Venezuela and Cuba have been “harassed” by troops.

The coup against Zelaya has earned widespread criticism throughout the region; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned that his army was on high alert and wouldn’t accept Zelaya being replaced by force. U.S. President Barack Obama urged in a statement that “existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference.”

In a press conference airing at this time, Zelaya claimed that he was “kidnapped” by a rogue group of “ambitious troops”. He said that he will not seek asylum in Costa Rica and asserted that presidential elections will be held in November. Zelaya claimed that several dignitaries have spoken out against today’s coup such as the European Union and the U.S. State department via the U.S. ambassador to Honduras. Zelaya warned that those who deposed him “will not get away with it.”

Zelaya had called for a nonbinding constitutional referendum to take place today despite being told by the Honduran Supreme court that it was unconstitutional. The tipping point may’ve occurred on Thursday when Zelaya tried to depose the armed forces head for supposed disloyalty.

Online Sources- Reuters, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera English, BBC News, YouTube