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Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya - Source: Reuters -
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Honduras' Supreme Court ruled that ousted President Manuel
Zelaya cannot legally return to office, dimming the possibility of
his reinstatement after a June coup, court sources said.
The Court did not release the full text of its non-binding ruling,
but a court source and a lawyer close to the proceedings said it
closely follows earlier decisions upholding Zelaya's ouster after
he moved to change the constitution.
On June 28, soldiers removed Zelaya from office and sent him into
exile on orders from the Supreme Court.
The Congress swore in Roberto Micheletti to head the new
government, but the world denounced the move and refused to
recognize the interim government.
The Court's opinion will be passed to lawmakers as part of a
US-backed deal between both sides that calls on Congress to decide
whether or not Zelaya can be reinstated.
The opinion may sway Congress' December 2 vote against Zelaya, who
snuck back into the country in September and is camped out inside
the Brazilian embassy.
Honduran soldiers have surrounded the embassy.
Zelaya pulled out of the US-brokered deal earlier this month and
says he will refuse to return to power.
Honduras will hold a presidential election on Sunday that was
scheduled long before the coup.
Neither Zelaya nor Micheletti is running and the United States sees the vote as a possible solution to the stalemate.
