TUESDAY, AUGUST 09, 2011

Nicaragua News Bulletin (August 9, 2011)

1. Violence over voter registration in San Fernando
2. Nicaragua sends ambassador to Honduras
3. Murillo reiterates opposition to abortion
4. Minimum wage raised 6%
5. Pellas tourism project receives financial push
6. Nicaragua will sell carbon credits
7. Seniors demand pensions
8. Managua celebrates its patron saint
9. Solorzano freed by US authorities

1. Violence over voter registration in San Fernando


On Aug. 4, several people were injured, including the Sandinista mayor who was hit in the face with a stone, in disturbances in the town of San Fernando in the Department of Nuevo Segovia in what was the last week of voter registration before the November 2011 presidential elections. La Prensa reported that approximately 600 people, equally divided between opposition party members and Sandinistas, trapped the head of the local police and several of his officers inside the municipal electoral council office and threw stones at each other for 45 minutes. Reinforcements finally quelled the crowds by 5:30pm.

Opposition sympathizers decided to stage a sit-in in front of the electoral office early in the morning and they were joined by picketers from all the political parties. Jorge Luis Ortez, campaign chief for the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) Alliance, said that people had receipts from applications for voter cards from 2008 and had still not received their cards. Sandinista sympathizers said they had maintained a permanent presence in the area since the previous week when someone had tried to burn the electoral office and had thrown a grenade at the mayor's office. In the evening, a committee was formed to make a list of all those who still needed to get their voter cards because, according to Reynaldo Rodriguez who works for the San Fernando electoral council, there were a lot of people protesting outside who already had their cards.

On Aug. 5, members of the National Electoral Committee arrived to investigate the situation. They were able to bring all sides together, including the local parish priest as mediator, in an agreement which Ortez of the PLI described as “very fruitful.” The agreement was signed by representatives of the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) Alliance, the PLI Alliance, and the “United Nicaragua Triumphs” Alliance, led by the Sandinista Party. All parties promised not to provoke acts of vandalism or violence and to channel problems of voter cards through the proper channels. The office of the local electoral council was also moved away from the headquarters of two of the major parties.

Juan Ramon Vilchez Ardon, head of the local electoral council said the meeting was “positive” because those who were demanding their voter cards were happy with the response to their demands. He said that the voter registration process has moved forward normally, adding, “It is the political organizations that are causing stress for the Nicaraguans, not the process itself.” He said that those who have not received their cards should come to the office to inquire, noting one case on a list from the PLI where the applicant has not received her card because of a question about her name. “She has not come to ask,” he said, “rather she has believed her political leaders [that cards are being denied for political reasons].”

Meanwhile, on Aug. 6, Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) president Roberto Rivas announced (as the CSE has in previous years) that expired voter identification cards can be used to vote in the upcoming election. He told a television interviewer, “All the identification cards are valid to vote on November 6, whether they are the new form, the old form, or whether they say that they expired six years ago; you can perfectly well exercise your right to vote with that card.” Voters can also apply for replacement cards after the August 8 voter registration deadline. What they cannot do, he emphasized, is register for the first time after the deadline. He added that all offices had orders to stay open over the weekend preceding the Monday deadline for new voters to register and that cards could be picked up until election day.

On Aug. 8, the CSE reported that this year over 209,000 people had applied for their voter cards and of these 163,889 had been given to the applicants and 45,613 were being printed.

In other election news, a new CID-Gallup poll showed Fabio Gadea of the PLI Alliance up from 28 to 34%, President Daniel Ortega of the Sandinistas up from 38 to 42%, and Arnoldo Aleman of the PLC down from 14 to 11%. Undecided voters were down from 17 to 14%. (La Prensa, Aug. 4; Radio La Primerisima, Aug. 5, 6, 8; El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 4, 6)

2. Nicaragua sends ambassador to Honduras

With the acceptance by Honduras of Nicaragua's new ambassador on Aug. 8, Nicaragua and Honduras completed the process of normalizing diplomatic relations which had been broken for two years since the coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. The credentials of Ambassador Mario Duarte Zamora, who had previously served in Brazil and Uruguay and as minister counselor in the Nicaraguan consulate in Tegucigalpa, were accepted by de facto Honduran President Porfirio Lobo in a ceremony at the Presidential House which also included accepting credentials of new ambassadors from France, Malta, and Zambia. Honduras has named Lenin Torres as its ambassador to Nicaragua. Ecuador is the only Latin American country that continues to refuse recognition to the Lobo government which resulted from suspect elections organized by the coup regime. (El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 8; La Prensa, Aug. 3; Radio La Primerisima, Aug. 2)

3. Murillo reiterates opposition to abortion

Following a visit to Nicaragua by Amnesty International which criticized the government, law makers, and the Catholic hierarchy for the criminalization of therapeutic abortion, First Lady and government communications coordinator Rosario Murillo said that the position of the Sandinista Party is for “love, peace, and life.” She said that President Daniel Ortega is “in favor of life.” Members of the Catholic hierarchy praised the First Lady's statement. Bishop Bosco Vivas of Leon said that the Nicaraguan Catholic bishops were “pleased” to agree with the government of President Ortega on this issue.

Therapeutic abortion to save the life or health of the woman was criminalized in 2006 (after being legal for a century) in the final stages of the presidential campaign when the FSLN bench in the National Assembly stopped blocking the measure. The prohibition was reaffirmed in 2007 under a new penal code.

The only Nicaraguan political party in favor of therapeutic abortion is the tiny Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS). The MRS is running in an electoral alliance with the Liberal Independent Party whose standard bearer, Fabio Gadea, is ultraconservative and anti-abortion. Dora Maria Tellez of the MRS said about the differences over therapeutic abortion, “We don't have to agree on everything.” The Constitutional Liberal Party, headed by former president Arnoldo Aleman, also opposes legalization of abortion for any reason. A Supreme Court challenge to the criminalization of therapeutic abortion, brought by women's groups, has languished in the court for over four years.

Murrillo, citing again Ortega's campaign theme of “love, peace, and life” called on the Sandinista base not to commit verbal or physical violence against opposition political parties during the upcoming presidential campaign. (El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 4)

4. Minimum wage raised 6%

The government, trade unions and private business owners confirmed approval last week of an agreement to raise minimum wage by 6%. The new wage will go into effect on Aug. 16. Labor Minister Jeannette Chavez said that the tripartite agreement meant that 120,000 workers in the country would benefit. Monthly wages in the agriculture sector will rise to US$91; for work in the mines to US$167; in manufacturing to US$125; in construction to US$208; for domestic service to US$130; for transportation and hotels and restaurants to US$170. Wages for the Free Trade Zones will go up by 9% in January according to the tripartite agreement.

Luis Barbosa, representing the National Workers Front, said that because this was an election year the unions would respect the agreement of last February and accept the 6% increase, but that in February of next year they would demand an increase that would match the needs of the workers. He said that owners had made excellent profits, adding, “Just look at the numbers.” Jose Adan Aguerri, head of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP), said that the tripartite agreements had been effective noting that full and part time employment had increased 10% since they went into effect. He added that the workers paying into Social Security had increased by 15,000 this year. Erving Salgado, representing the Farmworkers' Association (ATC), said that he was not happy with the wide gap between the earnings of workers in the countryside compared to those in the city. He added that the farm worker's wage is only enough to buy 20% of the basic basket of necessities for a family. (Radio La Primerisima, Aug. 4; El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 4)

5. Pellas tourism project receives financial push

Nicaraguan businessman Carlos Pellas confirmed last week that his company had received a US$46 million loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCEI) for a large tourism project on an enormous extension of property on the Pacific Ocean at Tola in the Department of Rivas with a total predicted budget of US$250 million. The first stage of the project includes a five star hotel, a championship 18 hole golf course, and a spa. The second stage contemplates docks for yachts, more hotels, residences, and natural areas with paths for hiking.

According to the Minister of Tourism, Mario Salinas, the project will attract higher paying tourists. Currently, according to Tourism Ministry figures, tourists to Nicaragua spend an average of only US$48 per day. Alvaro Baltodano, government advisor for investments, noted that the project, known as Guacalito, is the second largest investment planned in the country after the hydroelectric project Tumarin. He said, “For us Guacalito is an important investment, especially for its socio-economic impact.” (El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 6; Radio La Primerisima, Aug. 7)

6. Nicaragua will sell carbon credits

Nicaragua will join other Central American countries in selling carbon credits. In 2012, small hydroelectric projects, those which produce less than 15 megawatts of electricity, will sell carbon credits to the German company Mabanaft. The sales will be registered through the United Nations as part of the Kyoto Agreement to reduce greenhouse gasses. In addition to the Central American countries, Chile and Colombia also sell credits. Carbon credit sales allow countries to sell some of the rights to produce greenhouse gas they are allowed under the Kyoto Agreement to other countries that are producing more than permitted. By producing energy from renewable sources like water, wind and biofuel, Nicaragua is polluting less than it is allowed under Kyoto and thus can sell the excess. Authorities believe that, once all the qualifying projects are registered, the carbon credits will bring in between US$286,000 and US$430,000. At the moment, ten small hydroelectric plants in the Departments of Matagalpa and Rivas are affiliated with the program. (El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 4)

7. Seniors demand pensions

On Aug. 3, senior citizens in 17 towns all over Nicaragua marched to demand a reduced pension from the Social Security Institute (INSS) for those who had not paid into the program for enough time to receive a full pension. The protests were organized by the National Union of Older Adults (UNAM), which claims 12,000 members. The group says that there are 25,000 Nicaraguans over 60 years of age who have not paid into Social Security for the full 14 years required for a full pension, but who did contribute for at least five years and who deserve a reduced pension of US$140 per month.

Porfirio Garcia, UNAM president, said the protests would intensify beginning on Oct. 1, the International Day of Older Persons, organized by the World Health Organization. “We older adults don't have time to waste,” he said, adding, “We need that pension now.” Since 2010, the group has been demanding the reduced pension, a packet of basic foods, the expansion of the US$44 monthly economic aid from the government to include all members of the organization, and delivery of the wheel chairs, canes, eye glasses and other items promised by the government.

Humberto Doña, an attorney expert in Social Security law, said that Article 49 of the law, which relates to the reduced pension and which the INSS says was repealed, is still in force but the law itself has many contradictory elements. For that reason the UNAM demands changes in the law providing clearly for the reduced pension. (Radio La Primerisima, Aug. 3; El Nuevo Diario, Aug. 4)

8. Managua celebrates its patron saint

The tiny statue of St. Dominic of Guzman, patron saint of Managua, was carried around the neighborhoods of the capital last week as part of its annual ten-day presence in the city. On August 1, the statue was brought down from the Sierras de Managua, south of town, in a procession to the Santo Domingo Church. Order was maintained by 3,000 police officers and 50 firefighters and 96 Red Cross volunteers. From the church, it is then carried by selected citizens devoted to the saint around the city where it is celebrated in all the neighborhoods.

The procession on August 4 to the eastern part of the city was accompanied by the traditional giant dancing puppets and musicians playing folk tunes. Maria del Carmen Loasiga of El Paraisito neighborhood said she waited several hours for the procession with the saint's statue to pass by her house in order to ask for blessings. “All my life I have been a follower of [St. Dominic]; he is a very miraculous saint,” she said.

100,000 people are expected to come out on Aug. 10 to accompany the statue as it is carried back to Santo Domingo en Las Sierritas Church in the hills outside the city. (La Prensa, Aug. 4)

9. Solorzano freed by US authorities

Alejandro Solorzano, Nicaraguan member of the Central American Parliament, was freed by US authorities after having been detained on money laundering charges in June. The charges were dropped. Solorzano said he reserved the right to sue for libel the Nicaraguan politicians who had accused him in what he said were “dirty campaign tactics.” Solorzano, a former member of the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC), is now running as a candidate on the slate of the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) Alliance. PLI presidential candidate Fabio Gadea accused PLC leaders of being behind the charges. (Radio La Primerisima, Aug. 2)

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