Nicaragua Network

1. CSE releases electoral calendar
2. Canal Commission signs accord with Rama-Kriol community
3. Opposition figures release statement; PLI candidate shows false photos on TV
4. Southern Command head visits Nicaragua
5. Masaya Volcano reopens to tourists
6. Army seizes illegally logged timber
7. EU aids education for Nicaragua’s poorest
8. Nicaragua participates in energy summit
9. Alarm over FDA rule on premium cigars

1. CSE releases electoral calendar

On May 6, Roberto Rivas, president of the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) issued the official call to political parties and movements to participate in elections on November 6^th to elect a president, vice-president, members of the National Assembly, and members of the Central American Parliament (PARLECEN). Twenty National Assembly deputies will be elected nation-wide; 70 will be elected on a regional basis from the departments; and 20 will be elected to represent Nicaragua at PARLECEN.  Seventeen political parties are currently legally registered.

Rivas announced “citizen verification” days on June 25 and 26 which he called “a massive process that will help us to clean up the electoral roll” and called on citizens to report deceased family members. The electoral calendar, which was submitted to the political parties for their comments, also includes candidate inscription between July 28 and August 2 with the campaign beginning on August 20 and lasting for 75 days. Each political party or alliance that registers candidates will be allotted 30 minutes each day on every government owned television channel and 45 minutes on every government owned radio station to promote its candidates. One percent of the government budget is allocated to reimburse political parties for campaign expenses.

The CSE said that 15 experts in electoral matters from 11 Latin American countries have been invited to accompany the electoral process, among them: Lazaro Cardenas, former governor of Michoacán (Mexico) who has served as chief of an electoral mission of the Organization of American States (OAS); Francisco Royer, former president of the Colombia National Electoral Council; Wilfredo Penco, vice-president of the Uruguay Electoral Council; Alejandro Tullio, former director of the Argentina Electoral Council; Raul Alconada, former deputy foreign minister of Argentina; Pablo Gutiérrez, consultant with the Latin American Social Sciences Institute (FLACSO).

Opposition political party leaders immediately expressed their opinions. Conservative Party president Alfredo Cesar said that his party wanted the CSE to invite official observation missions from the OAS, the European Union, and the Carter Center. Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) spokesman Jorge Irias said that, as the municipal and departmental electoral committees were set up under the announced rules, the Sandinista Party would dominate them and leave the opposition parties in the minority. Cairo Manuel Lopez, president of the Social Christian Party (PSC), told CNN Spanish that there was a lack of unity among the opposition parties, saying, “I believe that the opposition in recent years has gotten bogged down in internal struggles, in personal struggles and in hatreds more than in the search for common objectives.”

US Ambassador to Nicaragua Laura Dogu said on her Twitter account, “Nicaraguans merit recognized international observation, not accompaniment.” In a subsequent twitter, she said, “Investors think that free, just, and transparent elections contribute to a prosperous, safe, and democratic country.”  [It should be noted that the United States does not allow international observation or accompaniment of its elections. Opposition political parties in Nicaragua are entitled to official observers at each stage of the preparation, vote, and vote counting, and verification process, just like in the US.]

Managua Archbishop Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said that he hoped for a tranquil electoral campaign without tension and added, “All Nicaraguans must be observers so that these elections can be a true sign of fraternity among us.” Bishop Rene Sandigo of Chontales lamented that politics had so divided Nicaragua adding, “It is difficult for us to recognize that there are positive elements in what the other side is doing.” He said that the Church calls on all to respect one another and to dialogue with one another. (El Nuevo Diario, May 6, 8, 9; Informe Pastran, May 6, 9; La Prensa, May 9; Nicaragua News, May 9)

2. Canal Commission signs accord with Rama-Kriol community

The National Canal Commission announced on May 3 that it had signed an accord with the Rama and Kriol Territorial Government (GTRK) for the leasing of 263 square kilometers of land within the Rama and Kriol demarcated communal territory for the building of the proposed interoceanic shipping canal. Hector Thomas Macrae, president of the GTRK, said, “After more than two years of conversation we have been able to culminate this historic process of consultation and have identified the necessary elements to be able to give our consent.” He said that both peoples (Rama and Kriol) were convinced that the canal project would contribute to improving the living standards of the communities and would safeguard their culture and respect their ancestral traditions and archeological and holy sites inherited from their ancestors. Manuel Coronel Kautz, president of the Canal Authority, said that accord complies with national law and international norms of environmental protection. Telemaco Talavera, spokesman for the Canal Commission, said that the accord respects Nicaraguan law and international treaties, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

However, others from the Rama and Kriol communities protested the accord saying that it was not the result of a consultation process that conformed with minimum standards of good faith and the requirements of national and international law. Rupert Allen Claire Duncan, president of the communal government of Monkey Point and a member of the GTRK, said that the accord is supported by some but not all of the GTRK. He explained that government representatives came to consult with them about the project but they did not arrive at any consensus. He said, “We do not recognize a document that has been signed without taking us into account.” According to the Center for Legal Assistance to Indigenous Peoples (CALPI), “Leaders of the GTRK and of the communities will file a lawsuit in the coming days against the illegal actions and will continue with their case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).” (Informe Pastran, May 3; El Nuevo Diario, May 4: La Prensa. May 3)

3. Opposition figures release statement; PLI candidate shows false photos on TV

On May 5, a group of 27 opposition leaders, from Sandinista dissidents to former members of the administration of President Enrique Bolaños and 2011 presidential candidate Fabio Gadea, signed a document which said that participation in the elections should be subject to periodic evaluation accompanied by a willingness to drop out if the process shows itself to be illegitimate. The document paints a picture of the country that is dark and desolate and that contrasts sharply with the picture painted the week before by representatives of the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. The document alleges that between 2007 and 2015, the percentage of workers in the informal sector increased from 65% to 80%. [However, the number of workers paying into the Social Security system has increased dramatically indicating a large growth in formal sector jobs.] It also alleges that underemployment has increased from 33% to 50% of the labor force and that salaries adjusted for inflation have gone down substantially. [But, the minimum wage has gone up about 10% annually.] The document says, “Today as yesterday, Ortega will be responsible, just as Somoza was, for a failure of these elections and for what comes afterward.” Among the signers of the document were Ernesto Cardenal, Gioconda Belli, Violeta Granera, Enrique Sáenz, Carlos Tunnerman Sofia Montenegro, Cirilo Otero, and Edmundo Jarquin.

Meanwhile, on the program of Jaime Arellano on Channel 15 TV on May 5, Luis Callejas, National Assembly deputy and Independent Liberal Party (PLI) candidate for president, presented several photographs that he said he had obtained on a visit to Ayapal (in Jinotega) and that he said showed the murder of peasants by the Army and their burial in a mass grave. La Prensa published the photos but shortly thereafter discovered that they depicted a slaughter among members of a religious sect in 2012. The daily apologized to its readers and Arellano said, “When Deputy Callejas gave me the photos, I trusted him and the PLI. I committed the error of believing the photos had been verified.” However, the National Coalition for Democracy, of which the PLI is a member, did not apologize and released a statement saying, “We support the efforts that Dr. Luis Callejas has made to defend life and human rights in those parts of the country where he has traveled and heard testimony that confirms violations of human rights that we thought were part of a painful past.” (La Prensa, May 5; Informe Pastran, May 5)

4. Southern Command head visits Nicaragua

President Daniel Ortega reaffirmed his commitment to peace and regional security during a meeting in Managua on May 3 with Lt. Gen. Joseph P. DiSalvo, Deputy Commander of U.S. Southern Command. Ortega said that this is a new chapter in the bilateral relations between Nicaragua and the United States. “Our two countries maintain a close cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime,” Ortega stated.  During his three day visit DiSalvo met with, besides the president, other government officials and representatives of the private sector. He also visited the local company that is restoring the vessels captured by Nicaragua’s Naval Force during operations against drug trafficking. The US is funding the restauration of the boats which will be used as anti-drug patrol vessels by the Naval Force. (Nicaragua News, May 4; El Nuevo Diario, May 3)

5. Masaya Volcano reopens to tourists

The Masaya Volcano National Park has been reopened and tourists can visit to see the lava lake in the caldera. Authorities are monitoring it closely as there is still lava movement within the volcano.  Presidential spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said, “The park is open, but the lava lake is continually active. There is strong movement which causes splashing around the mouth so people have to be very careful as they approach, including families strolling in the park.” The park had been closed since January when it began to register intense activity and a new lava lake formed. [The lava lake was also visible in the past until sometime in the 1980s when rock slides buried it.] National Geographic recently took some dramatic film of the lava lake, and the Washington Post published the video on its website [which you can view on the Nicaragua Network’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NicaraguaNetwork/]. The volcano has drawn experts from around the world.  (El Nuevo Diario, May 4, 5)

6. Army seizes illegally logged timber

The army’s Ecological Battalion seized 7,000 board feet of illegally cut timber in the municipality of Rosita in the Mining Triangle of the North Caribbean Autonomous Region on the night of May 3. Two trucks were stopped at an army roadblock. One carried 4,080 board feet of Caribbean Pine and Calophyllum antillanumand the other was transporting 3,444 board feet of tamarind and Calophyllum antillanum. Illegal logging is one of the main culprits of Nicaragua’s continuing deforestation along with illegal clearing for agriculture, especially cattle grazing, and illegal colonization of indigenous land and forest reserves. Col. Marvin Paniagua explained that the operation was part of the plan called Action in Defense of Mother Earth.  The army also identified the owner of the illegally logged property who lives in Rosita. (El Nuevo Diario, May 4)  

7. EU aids education for Nicaragua’s poorest

European Union Ambassador Kenny Bell announced a US$36.4 million EU donation for the Nicaragua Education Development Program to strengthen the Ortega government’s Free and Quality Education Model which has remodeled more than 70 schools and equipped some with solar energy systems. The European aid will fund the purchase of 1.5 million textbooks for 320,000 public and subsidized secondary school students. The Department of Rio San Juan, which borders Costa Rica, received 18,490 textbooks in math, language and literature, English, and natural and social sciences last week according to Ministry of Education Departmental Delegate Isabel Delgado.  The EU aid began in 2015 as part of a five year commitment to help improve education through support of the Ministry of Education. The program is particularly focused on secondary school access and completion in rural areas and among vulnerable populations. Another objective is to improve teacher quality. The program is being implemented in the 43 poorest of Nicaragua’s 153 municipalities. (Nicaragua News, May 9; El Nuevo Diarion, May 7)

8. Nicaragua participates in energy summit

At the Second Summit on Energy of Central America and the Caribbean held in Washington, DC, on May 4, Vice-President Joe Biden congratulated Nicaragua for its efforts in converting its energy matrix from petroleum to renewable sources, for expanding coverage to more Nicaraguans, and for lowering rates to consumers. The Nicaraguan delegation was headed by Vice-President Omar Hallesleven and included Nicaraguan Ambassador to the US Francisco Campbell, Jose Adan Aguerri of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP), Cesar Zamora of the Chamber of Energy, and Salvador Mansell of the National Electricity Transmission Company (ENATREL). Also attending were the presidents of Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

One of the principal challenges according to a report presented at the conference “is to overcome the different normative and technical restrictions” of the various countries. The Caribbean countries presented a regional platform to coordinate investments in clean energy. The United States will destine US$15 million to strengthen and expand the Regional Electricity Market (MER) in Central America and promote renewable energy in the Caribbean. But another aspect of the conference was revealed by Amos Hochstein of the State Department who said that renewable energy “assures these countries a future that permits additional investment and relieves them not only from dependence on Venezuela but from the fluctuating petroleum markets.” But, he added, “The United States is not going to substitute for Petrocaribe nor will it give out petroleum on credit or at cheap prices.”

In the last seven years, Nicaragua has increased electricity coverage from 52% of the population to 87% while the percentage of the country’s electricity generated from renewable sources has increased from 25% to 58%.  (Informe Pastran, May 3, 4, 6)

9. Alarm over FDA rule on premium cigars

Bayardo Arce, President Daniel Ortega’s economic adviser, said on May 5 that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had dealt a blow to Nicaragua’s cigar industry with its ruling that producers of handmade premium cigars would have to submit their products for review. [US premium cigar makers also protested saying that the requirement may prove too costly for smaller manufacturers that use traditional methods.]  Arce noted, “For more than a year we have been telling the US government that it would be an error to apply a policy that classified premium cigars with other [tobacco] products.” Juan Ignacio Martinez, president of the Tobacco Association of Nicaragua, said in March that if the FDA treated premium cigars, made by hand, the same as the cigarillos that have different types of additives and appeal to young people, the regulatory costs for producers would be very high and many small companies would go out of business. Nicaragua’s export tobacco industry employs 35,000 people and last year generated US$185 million in foreign exchange with 75% of the exported products going to the United States.  (El Nuevo Diario, May 6; Informe Pastran, May 9; Reuters, May 9)