Echoes of war haunt Nicaragua

[arcos]

Echoes of war haunt Nicaragua

1980s nostalgia fans should enjoy the political battle which is heating up in Nicaragua, even if the sides are more confused this time around. Hopefully, the situation will not come to armed conflict this time, but echoes of the war that rocked the country 20 years ago are being raised.

Former Managua mayor Herty Lewites, recently expelled from the leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), heads the list of hopefuls for next year's presidential race at 25%, according to a poll by CID-Gallup. Coming in a close second is current presidency secretary Eduardo Montealegre, who recently broke from the rightist Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC). He is followed by former president Daniel Ortega of the FSLN. Also running is former president Arnoldo Alemán, of the PLC. Lewites was expelled from the FSLN in February. In March, the FSLN officially designated Ortega its presidential nominee. Ortega governed from 1985 to 1990, but was a losing candidate in the 1990, 1996 and 2001 elections. In June, Lewites and Montealegre announced the formation of a unified front during an assembly of the Conservative Party (PC). (Angus Reid Global Scan, Aug. 22)

Lewites heads the Rescue Sandinismo party, a breakaway faction of the FSLN that opposes what it calls Ortega's authoritarianism. Ortega and his erstwhile arch-enemy Alemán have meanwhile formed an alliance to push through a package of constitutional reforms to weaken the presidency—a move aimed at the sitting president Enrique Bolanos, who heads the breakaway faction of the PLC, Alliance for the Republic Party (APRE), following a falling-out with Alemán. So breakaway factions of both the leftist FSLN and rightist PLC are in alliance to oppose the original parties—which, in turn, are in alliance to oppose the breakaway parties. Just to make it more ironic, the breakaway factions—including Rescue Sandinismo—are also in alliance with the Conservative Party, which is to the right of the rightist PLC. A rather embarassingly post-ideological mess, given that this little country was one of the last frontlines of the Cold War. (See our last report on Central America.)

<snip>

One critic of the agreement is Nicaraguan leftist historian Aldo Díaz Lacayo, who accused Washington of "brazenly interfering" in Nicaragua to unite the right wing and dispute a possible FSLN victory in 2006 elections. In the history of our country, "the imperial boot has put and removed presidents; it has distorted reality to protect a servile oligarchy," he told Cuba's Prensa Latina. He said people has always risen up "to fight the Yankees" and added that "we are not docile servants of their hegemonistic policy."

<snip>

http://www.ww4report.com/node/962

Note: This is a blog post... however, it was listed in Google News and it describes very recent events in Nicaragua. It also gives a fairly good background of what has happened recently in Nicaraguan politics.
Elections will be held next year and polls are really interesting right now... Lewites has over a 70% approval rating, while Ortega has over 70% disapproval. Same thing in the right wing, with Montealeagre with more than 60% positive, and Aleman over 70% negative.

[wli]

1. they should go as far left as possible, pro-Chavez too

In fact, we should also go pro-Chavez, but that's another discussion entirely. :D

[Judi Lynn]

2. Nicaraguans Disheartened with Country’s Situation

August 20, 2005
Nicaraguans Disheartened with Country’s Situation

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in Nicaragua believe their nation is going through one of its worst phases in decades, according to a poll by CID-Gallup. 56 per cent of respondents believe the current situation of the Central American country is worse than 25 years ago.

In 1979, the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle came to an end. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN)—which was originally assembled in the 1960s as an armed group that opposed the dictatorial regimes of the Somoza family—formed a transitional administration and later won a mandate in the 1984 presidential and legislative elections.

Nicaragua’s political scene has been unstable since current president Enrique Bolaños lost the support of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) in January 2002, when his government decided to take legal action against former president Arnoldo Alemán. Last year, Alemán—who governed the country from 1997 to 2002—was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud, money laundering and embezzlement.

Earlier this month, a National Assembly special commission recommended removing Bolaños’ immunity for alleged electoral offences. Lawmaker Orlando Tardencilla said the commission "corroborated the existence of bank accounts under the name of Enrique Bolaños that were not reported to the electoral commission."
(snip/...)

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/8591

http://www.presidencia.gob.ni/Presidencia/Files_index/Secretaria/Notas%20de%20Prensa/Presidente/2003/FOTOS/noviembre/Bush%20Bolanos_condecoracion,%2006nov.jpg


President George W. Bush explains the history of his desk during a meeting with Central American presidents
in the Oval Office Thursday, April 10, 2003. From left, they are, Presidents Francisco Flores of El Salvador,
Ricardo Maduro of Honduras, Abel Pacheco of Costa Rica, Enrique Bolanos of Nicaragua, and Alfonso
Portillo of Guatemala. White House photo by Paul Morse.

Enrique Bolaños very popular with the entire _Bush family, apparently.