Month: December 2009
Democracy in Honduras: Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Lobo and Clinton
Before right wing candidate Porfirio Lobo was pronounced the winner of the November 29 elections in Honduras, one senior US official spoke anonymously to reporters of his administration’s position on Honduras: "What are we going to do, sit for four years and just condemn the coup?" Instead, Washington offered its pivotal blessing for the elections, allowing a bloody dictatorship to paint itself in a democratic light. […]
Honduras: Fraud Exposed in Elections
Source: The Real News "There is wide agreement that last week’s presidential election in Honduras…" begins an editorial in Saturday’s New York Times, "…was clean and fair." The editorial gives no hint as to whom […]
Peru: Violence Targets Anti-mining Activists
Over the weekend, a reported 2,000 campesinos turned out to mourn the death of two men in the remote rural province of Huancabamba where campesinos have been opposing a Chinese and UK owned mine for the last six years. The Rio Blanco project is principally owned by the Chinese Zijin Consortium together with the UK’s Monterrico Metals. […]
The Speed of Change: Bolivian President Morales Empowered by Re-Election
Celebrations in La Paz
Bolivian President Evo Morales was re-elected on Sunday, December 6th in a landslide victory. After the polls closed, fireworks, music and celebrations filled the Plaza Murillo in downtown La Paz where Morales supporters chanted "Evo Again! Evo Again!" Addressing the crowd from the presidential palace balcony, Morales said, "The people, with their participation, showed once again that it’s possible to change Bolivia We have the responsibility to deepen and accelerate this process of change." […]
Video Report From Honduras: An election validated by blood and repression
Produced by Jesse Freeston, The Real News Network Honduran coup government continues repressive tactics on election day (Report from San Pedro Sula)
Turning Activists Into Voters in Uruguay: The Frente Amplio and José Mujica
Torrential rain didn’t keep voters away from the polls on Sunday, November 29th when José "Pepe" Mujica was elected president with 52% of the vote. The 74-year-old Agricultural Minister spent 14 years in jail for his participation in the Tupamaro guerilla movement, and has pledged to continue the policies of his predecessor, current left-leaning president Tabaré Vásquez. Mujica also promised that while president, he would return to his farm outside the capital city at least 5 hours a week to tend his flowers and vegetables. […]