At first glance, the political crisis in Honduras seemed reminiscent of the coups in Latin America of the 1960s and 1970s. However, on closer inspection, things turned out to be far more complicated and contradictory. The military was acting under orders from the Supreme Court. With help from the Liberal Party of the now ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, the National Congress elected Roberto Micheletti as new President, since under the constitution Micheletti, the President of the National Congress, was next in line.