There are two ways of looking at it: Either Honduras has two presidents, one deposed and one interim, or it has no president at all. Since Manuel Zelaya was overthrown and replaced by President of the Congress Roberto Micheletti, it's not very clear which one has a mandate.

Zelaya says that he is the rightful president, having been democratically elected, and Micheletti insists that he succeeded to the presidential office after Zelaya was removed from office for violating the constitution. Honduras has no vice president. The Honduran institutions support Micheletti's claim; however, his government is not recognized internationally as legitimate. Public opinion is divided.

Confusion has prevailed in Honduras since June 28, when Zelaya was taken from his home at dawn, still in pajamas, and flown to Costa Rica by the Honduran military. The crisis escalated when Zelaya suddenly re-appeared in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Sept. 22 and took refuge in the Brazilian Embassy.

The following day, I had the opportunity to interview the interim president, and our conversation is a sign of just how confusing things were at the time. Reports indicated that his government had opened a dialogue with Zelaya; however, Micheletti claimed that the only conversations that were taking place were with parties supporting Zelaya, and only on the subject of the upcoming presidential elections on Nov. 29.

I asked Micheletti how Zelaya would benefit from such negotiations, if they did not include his reinstatement to power. “President Zelaya has several charges pending in the courts of my country. The right thing to do is for him to show up in court to fulfill his obligations as a citizen,” he replied.

Although he referred to Zelaya as “president,” when asked under what conditions he might be restored to power, the interim president said that according to the Honduran Constitution, anyone who tries to break it is practically out of office. “On June 28 when he left office, he was no longer the president of Honduras; he is simply an ordinary citizen,” he said.

During a meeting with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who has served as mediator in the political standoff, at least four presidential candidates for the November elections were reportedly in favor of a dialogue with Zelaya in an attempt to give greater legitimacy to the electoral process. I asked Micheletti how a president who is not recognized by any country would be able to hold legitimate presidential elections. “It's not the president who leads the elections; it is the supreme electoral tribunal that was elected at the time of Mr. Zelaya,” said Micheletti.

Minutes after our interview, the United Nations reported that it was temporarily suspending cooperation with the electoral commission after finding that Honduras had no conditions for a credible electoral process.

I asked Micheletti if, in the hypothetical situation that President Zelaya would be willing to resign as president, he would do the same in order to allow an interim government that's acceptable to all parties. “I'm not here to indulge my ego,” he replied. “I'm here because it is a constitutional succession. The moment that he decides to resign, I will do the same, with pleasure. But he must first comply by stating that he will support the upcoming elections,” he added.

Micheletti said that the only way in which power would be restored to the deposed president would be as a result of a foreign invasion.

While both sides claim their actions are legitimate, an analysis by the U.S. Library of Congress concluded that the ousting of President Zelaya was legal according to the Honduran Constitution. However, the report also noted that his deportation had been unconstitutional.

The political situation is changing so rapidly in Honduras that it is impossible to predict what will happen tomorrow and what effect it will have in the coming months. But this is how things stood at the time of writing this column. Who has a legitimate claim to the presidency is a matter of debate, but for the good of the Honduran people and the stability of the region, it is important that on Nov. 29 the country return to the path of democracy.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www .mariaesalinas.com)

© 2009 by Maria Elena Salinas

Distributed by King Features Syndicate