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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Honduran business leaders hope elections restore investors' faith |
| 2009-12-30 |
| TEGUCIGALPA -- Just days after Honduras' recent presidential elections, Tegucigalpa Chamber of Commerce members gathered for their monthly meeting and breathed a collective sigh of relief. ``Finally, we can get back to business,'' said Luisa Maria Willingham, the chamber's director. For five months, talks of networking and sales projections were put on hold as business owners tried to navigate through the civil unrest caused by the forced removal of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in June. Getting back to business now means facing the harsh economic landscape of a country that has essentially been on standby for half of the year. Almost 180,000 jobs have been lost since Zelaya's ouster, according to studies by Honduran business groups. A study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., found that nearly $50 million was lost each day during a series of curfews imposed by the de facto government. While the Nov. 29 elections won by conservative Porfirio Lobo are seen by many as the country's way out of political turmoil, business leaders are hoping that international acceptance of the election will also restore faith among foreign investors and local consumers. ``Foreign businesses often have a fear of investing in Latin America because of the problems that have resulted from someone like [Venezuelan President] Hugo Chávez nationalizing businesses,'' said Adolfo Facusse, president of the National Association of Honduran Industry. ``What Honduras has demonstrated is that we're not going to follow in the political path of Chávez,'' Facusse said. ``Many business owners will look at what happened here, will note our elections and see Honduras as a more stable place where the government will not try to take over your business.'' |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 Parts of this headline need saved for use here in 2010...... |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2009-12-30 14:09 |