Nicaragua Network

1. United States pressures Nicaragua to allow international election observers
2. Sandino’s 121^st birthday marked
3. Health briefs: sub-specialists needed; autism addressed; improved patient attention
4. Investment in school infrastructure increases
5. Nicaraguans marked International Day against Homophobia
6. Conference highlights Nicaraguan microfinance
7. Crime briefs: Julio Rocha of FIFA; migrant trafficking and drug trafficking arrests

1. United States pressures Nicaragua to allow international election observers

The National Democratic Institute (NDI), one of the core groups of the US government-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED), was in Nicaragua two weeks ago “to take the national pulse over the electoral process.” [The NED was created by the Reagan administration and its first “success” was to massively fund the creation of the UNO Coalition, including selecting its presidential candidate, and funding its 1990 campaign which defeated the Sandinista government elected in 1984. It has been a tool of US “democracy promotion” funding of parties and non-governmental organizations friendly to US economic and imperial interests around the world, particularly in Latin America and in States in and around the former Soviet Union.]

The NDI mission met with private sector representatives, opposition political parties, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and media directors. NDI functionaries heard concerns about the election and demands for funding to turn out the youth vote as well as demands for national and international observers. [National election observation in the form of poll watchers is written into the electoral law with each party entitled to observers at every step of the process from the setting up of voting machines through the vote, tally, and validation.]

United States Ambassador Laura Dogu added her voice to the pressure campaign, also pushing the narrative that this is “normal” and again claiming that the United States has invited several groups to send election observers. [This claim is probably meaningless since the US does not have a national election authority, but instead state electoral authorities, each of which would have to invite observers. The few representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe who have visited the US for recent elections are very much like the accompaniers who have been invited to Nicaragua—see below.] Doguclaimed that the invitation for electoral observers needs to be made now because election day observation isn’t enough, but is needed “for the whole electoral system.”

The Nicaragua Network/Alliance for Global Justice agrees with Ambassador Dogu that “it is not enough to observe on Election Day.” That is why we are organizing an investigatory delegation to answer the question: Is the US Still Interfering with Nicaragua’s Democracy? The delegation will be August 5-14. Visit www.nicanet.orgfor more information or, for an application, send an email to Delegations@AFGJ.org.

State Department Spokesperson John Kirby turned up the pressure on the Nicaragua Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), an independent branch of the government, to invite “credible international observers,” and made the argument that international electoral observation is “normal” and stated that the United States allows it.  As we reported on May 10, fifteen 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; and Alejandro Tullio, former director of the Argentina Electoral Council.

Kirby, in response to a question at his daily briefing said, “As we have said very clearly before, credible international election monitors will only strengthen Nicaragua.” [Changes in the election monitoring system, which probably did serve a useful function during the democratic transition from dictatorships, have left many countries skeptical of US and European monitoring. Failure of the US to recognize the democratic election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the eagerness of US and EU observers to validate the severely flawed Honduran election of 2013, and Haitian elections where international observers have overturned voter mandates to themselves choose and exclude candidates, has fueled rising resistance to the whole system of electoral observation, preferring instead, international “accompaniment” by impartial organizations.] (Informe Pastran, May 6, 18, 20)

2. Sandino’s 121^st birthday marked 

Nicaragua marked the 121^st anniversary of the birth of national hero Augusto Sandino on May 18. The National Assembly dedicated a special session to Sandino who, from 1927 to 1933, led the resistance to the occupation of Nicaragua by the US Marines which lasted from 1912 until 1933. Sandinista Deputy Loria Raquel Dixon said that “Sandino’s legacy transcends history and is reflected in the programs now being carried out to develop the country.” Jose Ramon Sarria, another Sandinista Deputy, added that Sandino’s example is not the exclusive patrimony of Nicaragua but belongs to the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. Attending the special session were descendants of Sandino, President of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador Lorena Peña, Nicaraguan historians, and university presidents.

President Daniel Ortega spoke at the Augusto C. Sandino Library in Niquinohomo, Department of Masaya, where Sandino was born. Ortega said that Sandino had “expelled the Yankee invaders from our land” and, like Simon Bolivar before him, promoted the unity of the peoples of the region. He said that the intentions of the right internationally and of the government of the United States were to dismantle revolutions and progressive movements through a new type of coup and called for Latin American and Caribbean unity to confront those dangers. He also said that today, “The main struggle in Nicaragua is the fight against poverty, hunger, unemployment and illiteracy. These are the enemies we are facing and success requires the participation of government, employers and labor working together, in peace and reconciliation.” Accompanying Ortega at the gathering in Niquinohomo were First Lady and communications coordinator Rosario Murillo, Army Chief Julio Cesar Aviles, and National Police Head Aminta Granera. (Informe Pastran, May 18, 19; El Nuevo Diario, May 18, 19; Nicaragua News, May 19)

3. Health briefs: sub-specialists needed; autism addressed; improved patient attention

According to the Ministry of Health (MINSA), Nicaragua needs more doctors in certain sub-specialties. MINSA employs 1,915 general practitioners, 1,949 specialists, and only 128 sub-specialists. The Ministry notes that in Managua it employs only eight neonatologists, five nephrologists, and three specialists in infectious diseases. MINSA in Leon, where the Oscar Danilo Rosales teaching hospital is located, has only three neonatologists, one nephrologist, and no specialists in infectious diseases. Another specialty in high demand is gynecologic oncology. There are only five specialists in that field in the country of whom only one works for the Health Ministry. There are 65 cardiologists in Nicaragua, of whom 23 work for MINSA. Cardiologist Jose Daniel Meneses said that while there are five hospitals that treat people with heart disease, doctors in many of the sub-specialties of cardiology are few. He said that Manolo Morales is the only public hospital that can handle major heart problems but it lacks equipment for some specialized treatments. (El Nuevo Diario, May 23)

The National Assembly Committee on Education completed its hearings on a bill that would promote efforts for children with autism to receive adequate treatment and education in their homes, schools, health centers, and communities. The committee received comments from Health Ministry doctors as well as from psychologists and psychiatrists while organizations working with people with autism testified at a committee hearing. Maritza Espinales, chair of the committee, said the law would establish a registry in the Ministries of Education and Health of persons with autism. She stated, “We should not see the boys and girls with autism as phenomena. They can be [with the other children] in the classrooms.” Gerda Gomez, president of the Center for Integral Attention to Boys and Girls with Autism, said she was optimistic about the law and added, “We have to raise consciousness about how this affects families and how we can support those families with persons with autism.” She emphasized the importance of early attention for children to address their educational and social development. Pediatricians should have sufficient knowledge about the condition to advise the families, she said. Espinales said the bill should pass easily in the National Assembly. (El Nuevo Diario, May 19)

The Health Ministry on May 18 announced a national campaign to improve attention to patients and their families. Carlos Cruz, director of health services, said, “We want to show our patients, their families, and the whole population that we are ready to make changes in our attitude and to constantly improve the quality of the attention and the affection we give to all our patients.” Patients and family members at health centers will be surveyed about the attention they received by health personnel, according to Cruz. The announcement of these efforts has come after some health workers were accused on social networks of unacceptable treatment of patients. (El Nuevo Diario, May 18)

4. Investment in school infrastructure increases

Government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo announced that nation-wide, municipal governments are investing almost US$8.8 million to improve school infrastructure. As we reported two weeks ago, this program is already well underway in the department of Rio San Juan which borders Costa Rica. Schools in the Departments of Managua, Nueva Segovia, Matagalpa, Masaya, Granada, Madriz, Jinotega, and the North Caribbean Autonomous Region will benefit as well. Existing classrooms have been repaired and new classrooms built.

One of the critiques of Nicaragua’s education system is the poor condition of the schools where students learn. Improving school infrastructure has been a priority of the government of President Daniel Ortega since he returned to office in 2007. His first act after his inauguration was to eliminate school fees which had been imposed by the three previous neoliberal governments at the direction of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The result was that the schools were overwhelmed with new students whose families had been unable to afford to send them to school before. The legacy of the neoliberal governments’ failure to invest in school infrastructure meant that there was a large deficit in deferred maintenance and school construction to overcome. El Nuevo Diario quoted Eva Cordoba, executive director of Eduquemos Forum saying that to improve education it is necessary to also improve school infrastructure in order to permit access of new technologies, teaching materials and books. (El Nuevo Diario, May 20)

5. Nicaraguans marked International Day against Homophobia

May 17 is the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia and a number of Nicaraguans marched on that day to support sexual diversity and to condemn discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Juan Martinez, director of the Network for Sustainable Development (RDS), said, “On this occasion, we are demanding respect for the rights of LGBTI people and especially for the recognition of the identities of transgender women and men because they are the ones whose rights are the most violated.” The day was chosen because, on May 17, 1990, the World Health Organization stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder, organizers said. Marchers in Managua carried the rainbow flag and signs supporting an end to discrimination. (El Nuevo Diario, May 17.)

6. Conference highlights Nicaraguan microfinance

Experts at an international economic conference held in Havana, Cuba, last week said that, for the most part, micro-lending in Latin America and the Caribbean is not fulfilling its original objectives of contributing to the reduction of poverty and social exclusion and, instead, according to economist Luis Proaño, the credit-extending agencies pursue high profits. He noted that there are 20 million microcredit borrowers in the region with loans that average around US$2,000. Latin America, the economists said, continues to be the most unequal region in the world. Microcredit loans currently total around US$40 billion but that is barely 2% of the total credit extended to the private sector in the region. Proaño said that “microfinance should take up again the social objectives with which it was born.” According to the participants in the meeting, responsible micro-lending should include, along with the financing, orientation on the proper management of the money.

The economists highlighted the positive experiences in Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and El Salvador where important programs supported by the governments assure that the loans are invested in the development of productive enterprises. [In Nicaragua, Zero Usury is expected to reach 130,000 borrowers this year with a total portfolio of US$28.2 million.] The experts noted that it has been demonstrated that, when it comes to microcredit, free market competition does not lower poverty rates. In Mexico, for example, they said that the high interest rates required a major review. Such rates, they said, reduce the possibilities of borrowers climbing out of poverty and increase inequality in communities. (Radio La Primerisima, May 18)

7. Crime briefs: Julio Rocha of FIFA; migrant trafficking and drug trafficking arrests

Julio Rocha, former president of the Nicaraguan Football Federation and a former member of the board of the International Football Federation (FIFA), was extradited from Switzerland to the United States to be tried for money laundering and other crimes related to a major bribery scandal in which seven current and former FIFA officials were arrested in Switzerland in May of 2015. He pleaded “not guilty” and was freed by the New York judge on a bail of US$1.5 million but must stay in New York or Florida and be under constant electronic monitoring. Rocha wanted to be extradited to Nicaragua to be tried there but that was not accepted by the US. Six other FIFA officers had already been extradited to the US and one other to Uruguay. According to the US Department of Justice, Rocha received a bribe of US$100,000 from a sports marketing company in exchange for privileges at the time of the World Cup elimination rounds. (El Nuevo Diario, May 18; Informe Pastran, May 18)

The National Police announced that more than 60 individuals were arrested for crimes linked to human trafficking and illegal immigration during the last four months of this year. The Police report noted that the main countries of origin of the detainees were Cuba, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In one case, Mahfajor Rahman from Bangladesh told Judge Julio Arias that he and nine other migrants, seven from Pakistan and two from Nepal, were to pay two coyotes from Chinandega US$200 each to take them to the Honduras border. In another hearing three Ecuadorans told Judge Arias that a network of coyotes was supposed to get them to the United States for US$10,000 but they had only paid US$3,000 at the time police stopped them in Managua. (Nicaragua News, May 17; El Nuevo Diario, May 12)

The Nicaraguan National Police announced the arrest of four people involved with what has become known as the “Honduran Police Officers Case.” The four were detained with a white pickup truck and US$239,980. On May 11, Honduran media outlets reported that two Honduran police officers were detained in Chinandega with more than US$10,000 hidden in their vehicle that they did not declare upon entering the country as is required by law. Police Commissioner Francisco Diaz also reported that under the government’s Security Plan the Police and Army had disbanded 79 drug operations, seizing 179 kilos of cocaine and 20 lbs. of marijuana between May 9 and 15. (El Nuevo Diario, May 11, 17)