TUESDAY, MARCH 09, 2010

Nicaragua News Bulletin (March 9, 2010)

1. Controversy surrounds results of Atlantic Coast elections
2. Women march against violence on International Women's Day
3. Salvador Cardenal Presente!
4. European Union wants access to Central American markets for farm products
5. Daniel Ortega does not attend Central American summit with Hilary Clinton
6. Sewer and potable water systems inaugurated in Diria and Diriomo
7. Results of national handicapped census reported

1. Controversy surrounds results of Atlantic Coast elections

Early on Tuesday, March 9, with 87% of the votes from Sunday's elections on Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast counted, the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) announced that the Sandinista Party was leading in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) and the Constitutional Liberal Party had a small lead in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS). No more information was released by the CSE after that announcement. In spite of this, Sandinista leaders have declared their party the winner in the RAAS as well as the RAAN, saying that they took 24 of the 45 seats in the RAAS regional council.

Acting PLC president Wilfredo Navarro, said that the PLC was suspending unity talks with the party of Eduardo Montealegre accusing him and his party (the “Let's Go with Eduardo” Movement affiliated with a wing of the Independent Liberal Party) of striking a deal with the Sandinistas to rob the PLC of victory on the Coast by means of what he called “technical fraud.” Navarro said that the heads of the municipal electoral councils where there are accusations of alterations of the vote counts were proposed by Montealegre as the legal representative of the National Liberal Alliance (ALN), a party he used to lead. Montealegre said that Navarro's charges were “based on a misunderstanding since the PLC won easily in the RAAS.”

Both Sandinistas and members of the PLC-led Alliance were out in the streets of Bluefields celebrating victory with each side claiming to have won in the RAAS. There was music and fireworks with both rallies proceeding peacefully.

The Center for Human, Citizen and Autonomy Rights of the Atlantic Coast (CEDEHCA), the only national group officially accredited to observe the elections, noted that at some polling places there was campaigning, which is not allowed under Nicaraguan electoral law. The Institute for Democracy and Development (IPADE), which observed the elections unofficially, complained that the ink to mark the fingers of voters was of bad quality possibly allowing for repeat voting. Mauricia Zuniga of IPADE also said that the lists of registered voters posted outside many polling places did not correspond exactly to the list inside, causing some voters to leave to try to vote elsewhere. The group Ethics and Transparency, another unofficial observer of the elections, said that voter turnout was low.

Dante Caputo, Political Affairs Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS), a technical mission from the European Union, and several representatives of the Latin American Council of Electoral Experts visited polling places in the region with members of the CSE. These organizations called their small groups “accompaniment” rather than “observation” delegations. Caputo said that the OAS would be interested in reestablishing its electoral cooperation with Nicaragua including observation of the presidential elections of 2011. He noted that the OAS sent 200 observers to Nicaragua before and during the elections of 2006, in which Daniel Ortega was elected president.

European Union representative Mendel Goldstein said that the fairness and transparency of these elections would be “one of the important factors in our discussion with the government” about renewal of budget support funding by the EU. That aid was suspended when fraud allegations arose after the municipal elections of 2008. (La Prensa, Mar. 3, 7, 9; Radio La Primerisima, Mar. 3, 7, 8, 9; El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 8, 9)

2. Women march against violence on International Women's Day

In 2009, 11,000 women were victims of violence in Nicaragua. Noting that statistic, on March 8, International Women's Day, the Network of Women against Violence and the Nicaragua Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) organized a march from the Military Hospital to the University of Engineering in Managua. Maria Rosa Renzi, an economist with the UN Development Program (UNDP) said that Nicaraguan women produce 60% of the country's Gross Domestic Product but are paid 20% less than men. She said that women constitute 50% of the economically active population without counting their domestic and community contributions. She also lamented that the culture of machismo denies them access to credit, property, technical assistance, and training in new technologies. She blamed some manifestations of globalization such as sweatshops and drug trafficking for increases in violence against women.

At the Departmental Congress of Sandinista Women, thousands of Managua women celebrated the social programs implemented by the government of President Daniel Ortega. Yara Perez, Superintendent of Property and adjunct departmental political secretary of the FSLN for Managua, said that the principal beneficiaries of the programs put in place by the Sandinista government have been women with 70% of programs such as Zero Hunger, Zero Usury, and property titling directed at women.

The Congress passed a declaration calling on Nicaragua to adhere to the Bolivia-initiated Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth. “We assume the commitment in this Congress to move forward every day joining with boys, girls, men, the elderly in every program and project to strengthen reforestation for the protection of our watersheds and to promote recycling,” expressed Wendy Arauz Silva, adjunct FSLN political secretary of Tipitapa. The Sandinista Women's Congress also called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Law to require all parties to have gender equality in their slates of candidates for political office. Currently only the Sandinista party requires a 50/50 division by gender among its candidates.

La Prensa pointed out that while much has been gained in the 100 years since the establishment of International Women's Day, the struggle against machismo continues. In 2009 Nicaraguan women suffered 69 femicides and many who survived domestic and sexual violence encountered a corrupt judicial system. One such woman, Fatima Hernandez, who was raped eight months ago, took her protest to the Inter traffic circle. She said she has failed to receive justice because her assailant was a high government official. (Radio La Primerísima, Mar. 7, 8; La Prensa, Mar. 7)

3. Salvador Cardenal Presente!

Salvador Cardenal Barquero, one of Nicaragua's most important contemporary composers died March 7 at age 50. He left a body of work as a musician, painter, poet and environmentalist. El Nuevo Diario called him “one of the greatest geniuses of this country.” He died after a prolonged illness from type II cryoglobulinemia, which affects the circulatory and renal systems. Among his best known compositions were “Guerrero de amor” and “Casa abierta.”

In an interview granted to Fact Magazine, Cardenal declared, “I would like to be a part of history. My name is not so important, what truly matters for me is that the song transmits a message to you. I am always looking for the message that I can use to bring a youth or a hungry person some peace, justice and beauty…. What would I gain being famous? I would be already dead. That's why the real importance is in the quality of the message that survives any mortal reality.”

Cardenal was a painter noted for his creativity at age 11. Five years later he received a guitar as a gift when he began his studies in Panama as a Jesuit novice. He left the priesthood for the guitar and composed his first song in 1979. He returned to Nicaragua during the years of the Sandinista Revolution to take part in the coffee harvest and the literacy crusade. These experiences led him to become a pioneer of “ecological song” in Nicaragua. For 30 years he performed with his sister, Katia Cardenal in the Duo Guardabarranco. Together they produced 10 albums and he recorded one by himself. He performed with Katia or solo in more than 20 countries on four continents. He received international awards and in December he received the “Salvador Cardenal” award in Nicaragua which was created in honor of his grandfather Salvador Cardenal Arguello for his contributions to the arts and national culture. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 8; La Prensa, Mar. 8,)

4. European Union wants access to Central American markets for farm products

The European Union asked the Central American countries to improve their offer on access to their markets for European products in preparation for trade talks March 22-26 in Brussels which, it is expected, will result in the signing of an “association agreement” on May 18 in Madrid. EU representatives for Central America and Panama Mendel Goldstein said that the EU “hopes that Central America can present a better offer of access to the Central American market for the European agricultural products that interest us, such as cheeses, dairy products, and pork, as well as industrial products [and] services.” The Central American countries themselves produce these agricultural commodities and Central American negotiators are concerned about European farm subsidies which could give the EU products an unfair competitive advantage. Goldstein said that the EU had offered openings to its market for Central American bananas, sugar and shrimp.

Goldstein confirmed that the 27 member countries of the EU had approved the creation of a fund to help compensate for the asymmetries between the two regions, a fund that was originally proposed by Nicaragua and which would be composed of moneys from the EU, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and other entities.

Panamanian Minister of Trade and Industry Roberto Henriquez expressed his country's satisfaction at the decision of the EU to officially include Panama in the accord. Panama had been attending the trade talks as an observer. Henriquez said that his country's economy, which is 80% services, is complementary to the other economies of Central America, which are more agricultural and industrial.

Meanwhile, two networks of European organizations released a statement criticizing the EU for the recent decision to allow the return of the recently inaugurated Honduran government of President Porfirio Lobo, product of elections carried out under a military coup, to the talks. The Network of Women in Development Europe (WIDE) and Via Campesina Europe said in a statement that “Hondurans continue to suffer violent repression by their illegitimate government” which, they noted had not been recognized by the countries of the EU. (Radio La Primerisima, Mar. 3, 5; El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 3; La Prensa, Mar. 3)

5. Daniel Ortega does not attend Central American summit with Hilary Clinton

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was the only Central American president who did not attend a March 5th Central American presidential summit or send an envoy to represent him. The summit was held in Guatemala and was attended by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. At the summit the presidents agreed on the “immediate return” of Honduras to the Central American Integration System (SICA) and decided to support its return to the Organization of American States as well. A spokesperson for Ortega said that a news report saying that Nicaragua had supported those decisions was “absolutely false.” Clinton announced in Costa Rica on Mar. 4 that her government would reestablish economic assistance to Honduras, saying that the government of President Porfirio Lobo had “taken important, necessary steps” that merited recognition. (La Prensa, Mar. 5)

6. Sewer and potable water systems inaugurated in Diria and Diriomo

The populations of Diria and Diriomo in the Department of Granada have hoped for proper water and sewer systems for years. This weekend, they inaugurated a treatment plant in Pencal, located in Diriomo, with the capacity to process 1,450 cubic meters of sewage each day. In conjunction with this project, 10,000 meters of collection networks, 790 household connections, and 124 manholes have been constructed. The system is ready to be used by the inhabitants as soon as their individual connections are completed. It utilizes seven bio-filters and a reforestation project for a 1.7 acre septic area which is being reforested.

Ruth Herrera, head of the National Water and Sewer Company (ENACAL) said that the potable water system includes four wells, three in Diriomo and one in Diria. She added, “Today we are going to inaugurate the fourth well that will generate 400 gallons per minute and will improve the water flow to provide water for more hours to some 20,000 people.” The potable water system also includes the rehabilitation of three stainless steel tanks to store 300,000 gallons of water. These projects anticipate 1,440 new household connections to the systems, costing approximately US$4 million.

Funding for the water and sanitation projects came from the Spanish government, the Nicaraguan treasury, and ENACAL.

The mayor and vice mayor of Diria and Diriomo respectively, said that these were high quality projects for their municipalities, which had not seen any investment in potable water, much less a sewer system, in the 20 years. (La Prensa March 7)

7. Results of national handicapped census reported

Over two long days members of the Cuban-Nicaraguan health brigade that conducted a four month long national census to determine the numbers and needs of Nicaragua's handicapped population reported their findings. The census project was named A Voice for Everyone (Todos con Voz). The team reported that, over a period of 129 days, it visited 43 municipalities and did 82,501 consultations with handicapped people and their families in 71,747 homes. Genetic testing specialists also performed 8,984 examinations.

The handicap that predominated in the census was in motor abilities, with the exception of the Department of Matagalpa where the most prevalent handicap was in developmental disability. In Chinandega, the team noted multiple cases of chronic renal insufficiency which has appeared in sugar cane growing areas in Nicaragua and other countries. The team acknowledged the help of central hospitals in the departmental capitals in preparing for their visits and thanked the Sandinista government for communicating the mission of the team to the populations to be surveyed. (Radio La Primerísima, Mar. 8,)
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