De facto Honduran leader Roberto Micheletti is planning to give up power temporarily, from Wednesday to December 2, dpa reported. Micheletti said late Thursday that he contemplates not holding the presidency when the Central American country votes November 29 in a general election which ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. Latin American giant Brazil and many other countries have vowed they will not recognize the elections as legitimate. It remained unclear who was to lead the country in Micheletti"s absence, although he said he would return immediately in case of unrest that "threatens the peace of the nation." Zelaya was ousted and sent into exile by a military coup on June 28, and Micheletti was designated president, although the international community refused to recognize the new government and called for Zelaya"s reinstatement. The ousted president secretly returned to Tegucigalpa in late September and has since been staying in the Brazilian Embassy. Also Thursday, Zelaya insisted in a statement that the elections should be called off, and that he will formally challenge their validity. The statement was made public by the Honduran Embassy in Managua, which remains loyal to the ousted leader. In it, Zelaya said that "without a political deal" to resolve the crisis, the election "is illegal and violates the rights of the voters, because it hides the military coup and the de facto regime in Honduras."
