Continuity and rupture: the fall of ‹‹Mel›› Zelaya in a comparative perspective

This article analyses and compares the breakdown of the Honduran presidency of Manuel Zelaya with other presidential crises in Latin America during the Third Wave of democratization. Applying theory from analyses of presidential breakdowns, this work studies the procedures, causes and consequences of this presidential breakdown. The fall of Zelaya was caused by an escalating inter-institutional conflict, which was driven by the national, civilian elites. In a comparative perspective, the case is unique due to the military intervention, by invitation from the civil institutions, the lack of popular mobilisation before the crisis, and the international crisis and street conflicts after the presidential breakdown. The case of Honduras contributes to the theory of presidential breakdowns by raising attention to the role of the military and the state of the democratic regime within which the crisis occurs.