TEGUCIGALPA – At least 11 Cabinet ministers and other top officials this week presented their resignations to Honduran President Manuel Zelaya at his request, a source with the government said.
Zelaya asked for the resignations of his ministers and other top officials he had appointed, a full month before the move is traditionally made in this Central American country. The officials were asked to submit their resignation letters by Nov. 30, a month before the normal Dec. 30 date.
A spokesman for Zelaya, Guillermo Paz, told reporters that so far the officials who had submitted their resignations included Cabinet chief Yani Rosenthal, Foreign Minister Milton Jiménez and Defense Minister Aristides Mejía. Also handing in resignation letters were ministers Rodolfo Pastor (Culture, Arts and Sports), Rixi Moncada (Labor), Mayra Mejía (Natural Resources and Environment) and Karen Zelaya (International Cooperation).
Other officials who submitted their resignations were the head of the Honduran Science and Technology Council, Miriam Mejia, the legal adviser to the president’s office, Enrique Flores Lanza, Labor Deputy Minister Dario Cardona and Zelaya’s private secretary, Raul Valladares.
Paz said that the officials “leave in the hands of the President the decision to confirm or not confirm them in their posts.”
No other reason was given for the resignations. It is expected that this week the rest of the Cabinet and other top officials appointed by the President will also hand in their resignation letters.
