Nicaragua's Sandinistas consolidate power further
Nicaragua's congress on Wednesday approved allowing the military chief of staff to hold his post indefinitely and letting the army take a bigger role in the economy, further concentrating power in the hands of longtime President Daniel Ortega and his allies.
Ortega helped lead the 1970s uprising against dictator Anastasio Somoza and served as president until losing an election in 1990. Since returning to the presidency in the 2006 election, he has engineered a series of legal changes allowing him to remain in power indefinitely, leading his opponents to warn of a return to dictatorship.
The vote on the military came a day after the congress controlled by Ortega's Sandinista party altered the constitution to erase presidential term limits and eliminate a requirement for a candidate to receive at least 35 percent of the vote in order to win presidential election. Both measures are widely seen as easing Ortega's path to a fourth term.
The constitutional change also gave the president the power to issue decrees without congressional approval. It also allows serving military and police officers to hold what had been civilian posts in government agencies and gives.
http://news.yahoo.com/nicaragua-39-sandinistas-consolidate-power-further-233838061.html
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.