2009 Honduran constitutional crisis

The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis was a political dispute over plans to rewrite the Constitution of Honduras. It began when Honduran President Manuel Zelaya planned to hold a poll on a referendum on a constituent assembly to change the constitution. A majority of the government, including the Supreme Court and prominent members of his own party, saw such plans as unconstitutional, as they could lead to presidential re-election, which is permanently outlawed by the Honduran constitution. The Honduran Supreme Court had upheld a lower court injunction against the 28 June poll. However, the constitutional process for dealing with this situation was unclear; there were no clear procedures for removing or prosecuting a sitting president. The crisis culminated in the removal and exile of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by the Honduran military in a coup d'état.