Mercosur Comes Together to Condemn Recent Honduran Elections

A large group of influential Latin American leaders, including Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that they have refused to recognize the recent elections that were held in Honduras on Nov. 29.

In a statement released during the 38th Mercosur Summit, the world leaders said that they, "reaffirmed their strongest condemnation against the coup." The statement continued with strong language, stating that the Mercosur "considers unacceptable the serious violations to the human rights and freedom of the Honduran people" that have occurred since the of June 28 coup against President Manuel Zelaya. The statement formally disavowed the elections, citing the fact that Zelaya was never reinstated to power before the elections were held.

The Mercosur began in 1985 as a regional trade agreement between various South American countries. The most recent meeting began on Tuesday in Montevideo.