I was about to post this, and noticed Charles had beat me to it! Thanks for the comment, Charles. Reposting now with some photos & the best chant:

A coup regime selection
Can not be called a fair election
That's nonsense! Straight lies!
Fraud should not be recognized!

Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC

November 10, 2009

MR. CROWLEY: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Craig Kelly has arrived in Tegucigalpa today to continue working with the parties and the verification commission. He’ll be there today and tomorrow, focused on trying to move the process forward towards a free and fair election and the seating of a new government in Honduras at the end of this month.

And with that, Bob.

QUESTION: Would the Kelly visit include a delivery of a direct message from President Obama about the situation?

MR. CROWLEY: If he has – if he’s carrying such a message, we’ll let him deliver that first before talking about it.

QUESTION: And when is that coming up?

MR. CROWLEY: But certainly, we – it’s important for us to continue to support the OAS process and to push for full implementation of the San Jose and Tegucigalpa accords which provide a pathway to a free and fair election. And the outcome, which if handled properly, can be supported both within Honduras and within the region. And obviously, we continue – we’ll continue to kind of push both sides to live up to the agreement that they reached recently, and to continue to move forward towards the election on November 29.

QUESTION: And I’m sure you’re aware of the protesters out front who are saying that this is a sham election.

MR. CROWLEY: Yes, I heard them myself. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Has anyone from the State Department met with the representatives of the protestors or taken a letter from them, or what is your --

MR. CROWLEY: Not to my knowledge.

QUESTION: Or any response to the protestors saying it’s a sham election?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, first of all, on that point, we have been earnestly pushing to get a resolution of this issue so that you could have, in fact, a free and fair election on November 29 that both the United States, Honduras, the region could stand behind, support, and lead to the installation of a new government that the people of Honduras can support and can heal this divide that has --

QUESTION: Why is --

MR. CROWLEY: -- that Honduras has suffered through over several months. We understand that this is a very emotional issue and – which is why we’ve been so integrally involved; not only Craig Kelly, but Tom Shannon, others, our support for the OAS process going back a number of months, because we recognize that the only path out of this is through an electoral process that – where we’re – the people of Honduras get to speak and you have a new government that can go about the work of serving the needs of its people.

Go ahead.

QUESTION: Why does restoring Zelaya to power a couple of weeks before the election make it more likely credible?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, I think what’s first and foremost important is that you get to a new election on November 29 that the people of Honduras can participate in, that is free and fair, that’s effectively monitored by the international community. We, the United States, are prepared to help in that effort. But there is an accord, there is an agreement. As part of that agreement, the existing institutions within Honduras will determine how to implement that accord. We certainly encourage and continue to encourage.

One of the reasons Craig Kelly is there is to push both sides to take the steps that they promised to take. One of those steps, working with the congress, is what to do about the existing government. But we will continue to show our support for the verification commission and continue to encourage both sides to live up to their responsibilities. Now, part of that is to establish a unified government that can work through the transition until the election takes place and a new government is put in place.

Charlie.

QUESTION: Do you have an issue in --

MR. CROWLEY: Let’s – go ahead.

QUESTION: The – today’s meeting at the OAS, most of the countries, they say they are not going to recognize electoral results, also the Group of Rio. How do you see the way out for Zelaya?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, I don’t think we see a way out for Zelaya per se. We obviously – he has an interest and we have over several months wanted to see the return and restoration of constitutional order. It’s not about any one person. It’s about a return of democratic processes and democratic government in Honduras. It’s an important aspect to us of continuing to support democracy within the hemisphere.

As to what will – obviously, the accords that both sides agreed to recently through the intervention of the United States and under the leadership of Tom Shannon, they have set forth a path to a new election. We need to see both sides working to – on that path, taking affirmative steps so that you can produce a free and fair election that’s effectively monitored, that produces a credible result for the Honduran people.

As to what will happen on November 29, I think it’s important to put these steps and these processes in place so that you can have confidence in the electoral process and the result. But obviously, on November 29 when the election takes place, we’ll be able to evaluate what happened and then what the consequences are.

QUESTION: But the electoral process continues to moving forward, yes?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, we want to see the electoral process move forward. We want to see this be done in a way that ensures a free and fair election. We are prepared to support this effort, along with other countries within the OAS and – but obviously, we’re coming up on two to three weeks before that election. A lot of work has to be done between now and then.