The political crisis in Honduras that led to the detention and exile of President Manuel Zelaya by the Honduran Army this Sunday was rooted in a dispute between the Executive branch and the other established powers in Honduras: Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Military.

While President Obama has chosen to tip-toe around the issue, socialist leaders have strongly condemned the "coup".  This is not a big surprise as Manuel Zelaya has ruled as a left-wing populist, joining the club with Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa.  Correa and Chavez have gone as far as threaten military action if the issue is not resolved soon.

Here are a couple of facts that should help anyone understand what's going on in Honduras:

- The origin of the crisis:

President Manuel Zelaya wanted to add a "referendum" to the November 29th ballot - Presidential, Congressional, and Municipal races - in order to consult the voters about the possibility of amending the Honduran Constitution.  Here in the US we call that a poll.

Through this "poll", voters would decide if they want to call for a Constitutional Assembly to take place.  Zelaya's critics allege that the goal of this Constitutional Assembly would be to change the country's term limits for Presidential candidates, so he could run for re-election in November.

- What was being planned for this Sunday?

It would have been a poll about the poll.  The voters would vote yes or no on the following question: "Are you in agreement that in the November 29th election, there should be an item put on the ballot for voters to decide on the possibility of calling a Constitutional Assembly?"

- What did Congress decide about this Sunday's "poll"?

The Honduran Congress approved a law that regulates plebiscites and referendums and that invalidates the "poll".  The new law prohibits these types of "polls" from being conducted 180 days before and/or after a general election.

The President of the Congress, Roberto Micheletti, who is in the same political party as Zelaya (Liberal Party), affirmed that the "poll" would not only have no judicial validity, but that it would be considered illegal under Honduran law.  Zelaya's proposal was heavily criticized by Micheletti, who accused the President of trying to become a "perpetual leader", much like Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales have tried to do in Venezuela and Bolivia. 

- Zelaya intended on running for re-election in November:

Zelaya's term ends in January of 2010, and the Honduran Constitution bans the re-elections of Presidents.  Zelaya, who was elected in 2005, denied that his purpose was to rule for more than the four years that he was elected for.

According to him, in the eventuality that the Constitutional Assembly was called, any change to the Constitution would only affect his successors' terms; not his.

- Whose side is the military on?

Zelaya effectively fired the Military Chief, Romeo Vázquez, for denying help to conduct this Sunday's "poll" after it was declared illegal by the Honduran Congress. 

The Defense Minister, Angel Edmundo Orellana, and other military commanders strongly condemned the firing of the Military Chief as well as the "poll".

On Friday the Supreme Court reversed the President's decision to fire Romeo Vázquez. The Army immediately mobilized itself to mitigate and deal with the possible public demonstrations in support of the President, which are now undergoing. 

It is important to note that President Zelaya had requested help from President Chavez on conducting this "poll", since the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Military all positioned themselves against it.  It will be interesting to see what President Obama has to say about this as details unfold.