C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000229
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
BRASILIA FOR S.HENSHAW; MADRID FOR H.LLORENS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2018
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, HO
SUBJECT: PARTY BUSINESS TAKES A BACKSEAT AT HONDURAS,
NATIONAL PARTY CONVENTION
REF: TEGUCIGALPA 223
Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JAMES WILLIARD, REASONS 1.4 (B &
D)
1. (C) Summary. On Saturday March 8, 2008, the Honduran
National Party held a party convention in the capital city of
Tegucigalpa. Though party business was alleged to be on the
agenda, the event more closely resembled a political rally
for party boss Pepe Lobo, while his competitors for the
party,s nomination were left waiting in the wings and found
their only venue for expressing their dissatisfaction to be
the national press. The resulting complaints could not be
substantiated by PolOffs who attended the event. End
Summary.
2. (U) In front of a giant backdrop reading "Opening-up to
Positive Change," National Party leaders opened their
convention this weekend with calls for party unification and
general railing against the Zelaya administration. After a
few minutes of business, the focus turned to speeches by the
major candidates for the party,s nomination, and in
particular the speech of Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa, president
of the Central Committee of the National Party.
3. (U) Though Lobo,s speech was to focus on business, he
made a rock-star entry into the packed auditorium,
accompanied by Tegucigalpa Mayor Ricardo Alvarez and a
marching band. After a few laps of shaking hands and kissing
babies, Lobo and Alvarez reached the stage and delivered
speeches that were long on rhetoric, but short on substance,
and noticeably lacking even the slightest focus on party
business.
4. (U) Lobo strongly criticized the Zelaya government for
not addressing the issue of the 600,000 youth without
identity cards and promised to fight for their rights. He
also critiqued the high cost of living, and called the
current government "the most corrupt in the entire history of
Honduras." Thirty minutes later, Lobo and Alvarez were
finished, left the stage, and exited the building. They were
followed to the podium by others seeking the nomination, but
none had nearly the following of Lobo.
5. (U) Press reports are detailing a litany of complaints
raised by candidate Mario Canahuati about Lobo and the
convention. (See reftel.) After calling Lobo a liar and a
dictator during his speech, Canahuati is now offering a
laughable laundry list of reasons for the failure of his
supporters to materialize at the convention. The list
includes an 80-bus boycott, city-wide planned power-outages,
restricted access and the removal of speakers.
6. (C) Comment: Though it is impossible to know
everything that was going on behind the scenes, PolOffs
attending the convention noticed no visible restraints on
anyone,s supporters attending. There was not a heavy
security presence, power outage, or bus blockade. Instead,
the writing was on the wall--literally--for Canahuati inside
the arena. Of the many hundreds of signs, PolOffs spotted
only a few for Canahuati. By the time Canahuati began his
speech, only about twenty percent of the conventioneers
remained, and all but about fifty of those remaining were
wearing Lobo shirts. End comment.
FORD