The Supreme Court of Honduras last week repealed two articles of the country's constitution that had banned presidential re-election, a hotly contested issue in the Central American nation that in 2009 had led to the ouster of then-President Manuel Zelaya, the PanAm Post reported.

The tribunal's decision has caused some confusion because other articles within the Honduran magna carta seem to contradict its outcome; Rep. Aníbal Calix, a member of the Anti-Corruption Party, told the website that the full scope of the order thus remains to be determined.

Opposition groups have alleged that allowing former presidents to stand for reelection marks an "abuse of power," the PanAm Post noted. Following the high court's decision, the political situation in Honduras was so tense that even the details of the its publication stoked controversy, the local El Heraldo noted.

The National Congress needed to be advised of the rulings's details before its publication in the country's official bulletin, opposition lawmakers had insisted. But the La Gaceta, the official register, carried it almost immediately, the newspaper said.

"Unfortunately, there is no rule of law in our country, and no one knows for sure how this will end," Calix told the PanAm Post. "It boils down to our past, current, and future lack of judicial certainty, and we reaffirm that we are against all of these kinds of decisions," he added.

The congressman pointed to Article 4 of the Honduran constitution -- untouched by the court's ruling -- which simply states that "alternation in the exercise of the presidency of the republic is obligatory."

Tomás Zambrano, his colleague from the ruling National Party, acknowledged that lawmakers will have to further clarify the issue.

"Congress will eventually have to stipulate in the constitution how many terms a president can be reelected for, among other issues," Zambrano said.

The local rules against presidential reelection had been widely scrutinized in 2009 when the Supreme Court had ordered the Honduran army to depose Zelaya, who had tried to hold a referendum about convening a constituent assembly to rewrite the magna carta. The president was sent into exile but eventually allowed to return two years later.