Nicaragua Network

1. Political briefs: Choosing candidates; 84% likely to vote; observation or accompaniment
2. US briefs: US Army medical brigade visits; TPS extended; FDA says cigars health risk
3. Economic briefs: EU aid; electricity; domestic employees; baseball stadium; rains
4. Nicaragua condemns attempted coup against Dilma Rousseff
5. Government sends condolences to family of Michael Ratner
6. Zika prevention program has made 4.4 million home visits
7. Government offers subsidy for affordable housing
8. Fire destroys 7 stores in Eastern Market

1. Political briefs: Choosing candidates; 84% likely to vote; observation or accompaniment

On May 11, the National Coalition for Democracy (CND), headed by the Independent Liberal Party (PLI), chose by consensus National Assembly Deputy Luis Callejas as its candidate for president in the upcoming November elections. Rev. Santurnino Cerrato abandoned his aspirations as the strength of Callejas’ support became evident. Members of the Coalition include, besides the PLI: the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), the Citizen Action Party (PAC), and dissidents who have broken with the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC). Ana Margarita Vijil of the MRS has expressed interest in being the CND candidate for vice-president. (Informe Pastran, May 11, 13; El Nuevo Diario, May 12)

On May 16, the Sandinista National Council met in Managua and approved a resolution setting out the schedule for the choosing of candidates for president, vice-president, National Assembly Deputies, and members of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN). President Daniel Ortega and Communications Coordinator Rosario Murillo presided over the meeting which was attended by FSLN political secretaries from all the departments, the National Council of the Sandinista Youth Organization, and other members of the party leadership. The National Sandinista Assembly will meet next and finally the National Congress of the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) will confirm all the candidacies of the party. (El Digital 19, May 16; Informe Pastran, May 16)

Meanwhile, M&R Consultores released another poll in which 58% of those surveyed said that they definitely would vote; 25.6% said they probably would vote; 3.4% probably would not vote and 7.4% definitely would not vote. On the question about voter registration cards, 93.9% said they had their cards. Of those 10.9% would be voting for the first time. However, among all of those intending to vote for the first time only 72% had their voter cards. The last day to apply for a voter registration card for the November elections is Aug. 8. Raul Obregon, general manager of M&R Consultores, said that the total number of voters could reach 4.2 million. The poll was carried out between April 23 and May 2 with 2,000 people over 16 (the voting age) surveyed by means of face-to-face interviews. The poll has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 2.24%. (El Nuevo Diario, May 11, 13; Informe Pastran, May 13)

Discussion continued on the subject of observation versus accompaniment of the elections. Jose Adan Aguerri, president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP), said that his organization would continue to push for national and international observation as it has been a supporter of observation in past elections. Former President Arnoldo Aleman said that he thought that it was too late to invite groups such as the Carter Center and added that the protection of the vote is the responsibility of the poll watchers of each party at the polling places. The Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) said in a statement that “the group of specialists [that the government invited as accompaniers] are international consultants whose task is to advise officials of the electoral branch but they are not by any definition independent and qualified electoral observers.” Informe Pastran took a look at the history of election observation in Nicaragua and quoted Nicaraguan General and President Emiliano Chamorro who told of how from 1917 to 1956, electoral processes in the country were directly influenced by the United States and politicians of that period, including himself, consulted everything with the US ambassador. Pastran notes, “One should read that history at this moment in time.” (Informe Pastran, May 10, 11, 13; El Nuevo Diario, May 10))

2. US briefs: US Army medical brigade visits; TPS extended; cigars grave health risk

A medical brigade of the Southern Command of the US Army will be working in the North Caribbean Autonomous Region of Nicaragua in the community of Alamikamba. The group of 60 from the Joint Task Force Bravo will include doctors, dentists, nurses and air crew for their UH-60 and CH-47 helicopters. They will be supported by the Nicaraguan Army and 16 Nicaraguan doctors and nurses from the Health Ministry and the Army. They hope to provide medical and dental services to 800 patients. The program provides experience for the medical personnel in providing services “in difficult conditions.” The Southern Command humanitarian assistance program has assisted 47,000 and performed 500 surgeries since 2007. (Informe Pastran, May 16)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Nicaragua for an additional 18 months, effective July 6, 2016, through Jan. 5, 2018, according to a statement from the US Citizen and Immigration Service. Current Nicaraguan TPS beneficiaries who want to extend their temporary protected status must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from May 16, 2016 through July 15, 2016. The 18-month extension allows those who re-register to apply for a new employment authorization document (work permit). The same extension applies to Hondurans, according to the DHS. Fifty-seven thousand Hondurans and 2,550 Nicaraguans are protected from deportation under the 18 year old program. (Informe Pastran, May 16; https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/temporary-protected-status-extended-nicaragua)

Addressing the restrictions that Nicaragua’s handmade cigars will soon face on entering the United States, William Muntean, economic officer at the US Embassy in Managua, explained that scientific evidence from the US Food and Drug Administration led to the conclusion that there was no justification for excluding premium cigars from the new rules. All tobacco products, he said, represent grave negative health risks. Nicaragua has 51 cigar factories which produce premium cigars that will now have to be submitted to the FDA for review. The new law enters into effect on Aug. 8 but producers can continue selling their products for two years as they prove that they are complying with the new measures. (El Nuevo Diario, May 13)

3. Economic briefs: EU aid; electricity; domestic employees; baseball stadium; rains

European Union Ambassador Kenny Bell told Channel 2 TV News last week that the EU was donating over €240 million (US$269.4 million) to Nicaragua for projects in productive sectors, education, and climate change. He said, “We are now in the process of identifying with the government the projects we are going to finance during this phase.” He said that the donation to Nicaragua was “among the highest in the region and we believe that it is a significant contribution to the development of Nicaragua.” And he added, “It is a donation, not a loan, and with that we can complement government resources [and] funding from other donors.” He said that Nicaragua’s growth rate of between 4 and 5% and its macroeconomic stability were important, but “more growth is always necessary in order to advance.” He said that European investors were interested in Nicaragua but they do so directly through Pro-Nicaragua and what EU donations do is help Nicaragua exports enter the “biggest market in the world with 500 million people.” (Informe Pastran, May 13)

The center responsible for administering the electricity market in Nicaragua reported that in the first quarter of the year 60% of the country’s energy was generated from renewable sources. And in related news, the Fabretto Foundation and the US firm Voltaic Systems announced a program to promote the use of solar powered lamps in the country’s rural areas. Voltaic Systems said that advances in solar energy have played a role in the reduction of rural poverty and that the company will be distributing the first 160 solar lamps free to families in isolated sections of the country. Meanwhile, the National Electricity Transmission Company (ENATRAEL) announced that it had expanded electricity service to 600 people in 121 homes in the 22 de Mayo neighborhood of Managua as part of a government plan to expand service in all 153 of the country’s municipalities. According to the Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES), Nicaragua has the third highest subsidy in Latin America for low electricity usage households in proportion to its GDP, providing subsidies to families that use under 150 kWh per month. FUNIDES recommends lowering it to 100 kWh.  (Informe Pastran, May 16; Nicaragua News, May 16; El Nuevo Diario, May 16)

The Nicaraguan Social Security Institute reported that 250,000 people in Nicaragua work for private families as cooks, maids, drivers, nannies, gardeners, etc. But, the employers of only 10% of them are paying into Social Security, in total 26,591 workers, of which 4,362 joined the system last year. In Nicaragua, the social security system can also provide health care along with old age pensions and death benefits and a social security card is usually a requirement for a bank loan.  Sociologist Ismael Centeno said, “Often it is the employer who doesn’t want to ensure the worker but sometimes it is the worker who doesn’t want it because he or she thinks it will not be worthwhile.” National Assembly Deputy Carlos Emilio Lopez said that among the recognized rights of home workers is that of being registered with the social security system. (El Nuevo Diario, May 16)

The new national baseball stadium is taking shape in Managua, according to the Chamber of Construction. The stadium will hold 15,000 spectators, is being built to US Major League Baseball (MLB) standards, and will be earthquake resistant. Some 350 workers are currently employed in laying the foundations but the construction will eventually employ 1,200 workers. The stadium, which will cost US$30 million, will be finished in time for the XI Central American Games in 2017. (Informe Pastran, May 12)

At a meeting of the Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG) on May 9, there was optimism about the beginning of the rainy season. Farmer Luis Octavio Obregon of Esteli said, “I expect to plant my basic grains beginning on May 16. The cattle have made it through the time of hunger, as we call it, because the grass is now green. The farmers’ enthusiasm is high.” Jose Santos Nicoya, an UNAG leader in Rivas, said, “The information that we have is that the rainy season is going to be good and people are motivated.” Some 75,000 small and medium scale farmers belong to UNAG. (El Nuevo Diario, Ma

4. Nicaragua condemns attempted coup against Dilma Rousseff

The government of Nicaragua sent a message of solidarity to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in which they called the removal of Rousseff “a blow to democracy.” The message, signed by President Daniel Ortega and First Lady Rosario Murillo said that they had been following the crisis in Brazil “with indignation.” “We are shocked by the arguments and political games of the right which, as always, attempt to weaken processes for the liberation from poverty and for the transformation of oppressive culture,” the statement said. The message also said that the Brazilian people and the Workers Party with Rousseff and Lula at their head have been “examples of change and of spiritual strength.” The message ended with, “The people united will never be defeated!” (El Nuevo Diario, May 12)

5. Government sends condolences to family of Michael Ratner

Government communications coordinator Rosario Murillo expressed the condolences of the government of Nicaragua to the family of Michael Ratner, former legal director and president of the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, who died on May 11. Murillo said, “We want to send our affectionate embrace and our condolences to the family of our North American brother Michael Ratner, who died at the age of 72 after a long illness.” She went on to say, “He defended Nicaragua and sued the United States for putting bombs in the Port of Corinto, among other solidarity efforts for the Nicaraguan people during those hard years of war.” He was an adviser to the Sandinista government for the case against the US before the World Court in the 1980s. Murillo concluded, “Our solidarity embrace to his wife, his children, and to all his family.” [The Center for Constitutional Rights and its then-legal adviser Ratner assisted the Central American solidarity organizations—among them the Nicaragua Network—when they were being harassed by the FBI in the 1980s.] (Informe Pastran, May 12)

6. Zika prevention program has made 4.4 million home visits

The Nicaraguan government is closely following the pregnant women in the country who have contracted Zika, a total of 38 women of whom eight have already given birth to healthy babies. Last week the total of confirmed Zika cases reached 196 including 12 new cases. Among them were three pregnant women. The first case in Nicaragua was confirmed on Jan. 27 of this year. Ultrasound exams of the pregnant women have so far indicated normal head circumferences in the fetuses. Meanwhile, two more people died from dengue last week and 19 more cases of chikungunya were reported. All three of these diseases are carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. In order to slow the propagation of the mosquito, the government continues an active prevention campaign and has made 4.4 million home visits to eliminate places where the insect can lay its eggs. (Informe Pastran, May 16; El Nuevo Diario, May 11, 16)

7. Government offers subsidy for affordable housing

The Nicaragua Urban and Rural Housing Institute (INVUR), with support from the Nicaragua Chamber of Housing (CADUR), is implementing a subsidy program to facilitate greater access to low cost housing. Ricardo Melendez, CADUR President, said the purpose of this public - private partnership is to offer favorable conditions for the poor to purchase a home. At the end of April, INVUR Co-director Guillermo Arana announced that the government has allocated funding to INVUR for subsidies of US$2,000 each for 5,500 families, who can earn up to four times the minimum wage, to use as a down payment to purchase affordable homes.

Ricardo Melendez, president of the Chamber of Developers (CADUR), said that the subsidy was very important and added, “People can get their houses right away…. The government puts in US$2,000; the family puts in US$500; the bank finances US$17,500 and with that you have your house. [The government subsidy] is an important achievement and worthwhile.” He said his organization is in talks with the government to raise to US$23,000 the top affordable home price for which the government will subsidize the interest. The amount is currently at US$20,000. From June 17 to 19, the 21 annual National Housing Fair will be held in Managua where 69 housing projects will offer homes between US$22,000 and US$35,000. (Nicaragua News, May 11; El Nuevo Diario, May 11; Informe Pastran, May 10)

8. Fire destroys 7 stores in Eastern Market

A fire destroyed seven stores in Managua’s famous (or infamous) Eastern Market on May 14. There were no injuries but the costs to owners for damages will be considerable given that insurers would not write policies on the stores because they considered them to be in a high risk area. Government communications coordinator Rosario Murillo said that the authorities would study the fire and correct the conditions that produced it and the problems the fire department had in controlling it. “We have to work to correct the weaknesses that we found at the time of this fire as well as the cause of the fire that we have been told had to do with the electricity connections,” she explained. Twenty-nine fire trucks and 327 firefighters, police officers, and Red Cross workers participated in fighting the fire. Police Commissioner Thelma Collado said that 15 people were arrested attempting to loot stores at the time of the fire. Augusto Rivera of the Managua office that regulates markets said that the stores were full of highly flammable material and the fire department had difficulty accessing water. Commander Ramon Landero of the Fire Department said that there were not enough fire hydrants in the market. (El Nuevo Diario, May 15, 16)