( CNN ) -- Nearly four years after the Honduran president was deposed in a coup , the country 's congress will add an impeachment process to its constitution , hoping to deter future political crises . A decree to reform the constitution on the matter of impeachment passed Tuesday night with overwhelming support . An impeachment process will help prevent authoritarianism , said Matias Funes , a writer who also is former congressman and presidential candidate . In June 2009 , the Honduran military carried out an order from the country 's Supreme Court to remove President Jose Manuel Zelaya from office . Zelaya had been at odds with the other branches of government over his desire to to run for another term , and the court determined that the president had violated the constitution . Without a clear interpretation of the constitution , the military ended up sending Zelaya into exile , and the country fell into a political crisis that other nations simply called a coup . The episode was a black eye for the country , and to this day , a minority still question the legitimacy of the current government . The 2009 coup and ensuing crisis could have been avoided if there was a clear impeachment process , Funes said . `` From my point of view there is a hole in this area and as long as this hole is not closed , it can be filled by special interests , whims and authoritarianism , '' he said in a statement posted on the congressional website . The decree , which aims to `` make effective the principal of public servants ' responsibility , '' still must pass through some hoops before the constitution is modified . The reform must be voted on again once the next congressional term begins this month . Once ratified , new laws detailing the impeachment process must be written . As written , Tuesday 's decree envisions precisely the situation that Honduras faced with the Zelaya debacle . The impeachment process would be used when there are `` grave accusations against a person 's post by acting contrary to the constitution or the national interest , and by negligence , incapacity and incompetence , '' the decree states . These are the same things that the Supreme Court and congress accused Zelaya of during his attempt to run for another term . Impeachment would require a three-fourths majority in congress . The measure is not without its critics , who question whether Honduras ' legislative branch is mature enough to wield such power without abuse . The first movement toward a decree came last summer , immediately after Paraguay 's president , Fernando Lugo , was removed from office through an impeachment proceeding . While Paraguay 's solution for ousting a president was legitimated by the country 's laws , many cite it as an example of how impeachment can be abused . Lugo was removed from office in a matter of days , with hardly a chance to defend himself . The process that removed him may have been legal , but it caused a stir all the same because it seemed to have been used as a political weapon . An impeachment process for Honduras `` is very risky and is unacceptable , '' a former president , Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero , told La Prensa newspaper last year . Knowing the political divide that exists in Honduras and the vengefulness that dominates the traditional parties , the advent of impeachment will generate chaos , he said . But the legislation is popular among the public , and it follows a suggestion made in 2011 by a truth commission appointed to examine the political turmoil of 2009 . To avoid a repetition of the institutional fights that led to the capture and expulsion of Zelaya , an impeachment process is necessary , the commission 's final report said . Journalist Elvin Sandoval contributed to this report .
The Honduran congress passes a decree to create an impeachment process . Supporters say it is needed to avoid political crises . A 2009 coup and subsequent fallout could have been avoided with such a law , some say . Others wonder if Honduran institutions are mature enough to handle such power .