Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Is there a new president? Ignoring deposed President Manuel Zelaya’s appeal for a boycott, Hondurans turned out in large numbers this week to elect Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo president. The election was scheduled long before Zelaya was ousted in a peaceful coup last summer by lawmakers who accused him of trying to assume dictatorial powers. But Zelaya, who has been holed up in the Brazilian Embassy since sneaking back into the country in September, says he won’t accept the result; he was backed by Brazil and Venezuela, which refused to recognize the election. But the U.S. recognized Lobo as Honduras’ legitimate leader, and Colombia and Mexico are expected to follow suit.
Caracas, Venezuela
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Nationalizing the banks: Venezuela’s Socialist president, Hugo Chávez, has begun taking over the nation’s private banks. In a major speech this week, Chávez threatened to nationalize any bank that does not sufficiently invest in the country’s development. “If any banker slips, he loses, regardless of the size of the bank,” Chávez said. “You want me to nationalize the banking sector? I have no problem with that.” The day after Chávez’s speech, the government closed four small banks, all owned by the same man, for violations of solvency regulations. The closures panicked many Venezuelans. “How can I pay for my shopping, my boy’s school?” asked depositor Fabiola Martin.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Ex-guerilla elected president: Uruguay has elected as its new president a onetime leftist revolutionary who served years in jail. José “Pepe” Mujica, who beat former President Luis A. Lacalle in this week’s vote, was a founder of the Tupamaro movement, which in the 1960s robbed banks and gave money to the poor, and was notorious for kidnapping businessmen and politicians. Mujica spent 14 years in jail, including two years in which he was held at the bottom of a well. He was released in a general amnesty when democracy was restored, in 1985. In his victory speech, Mujica promised compromise and nonpartisanship. “Just because we have a few more votes does not mean we are the owners of the truth,” he said.
