Nicaragua Network

1. Registration begins for 2015 school year
2. New poll released by M&R Consultores
3. Russia’s highest ranking woman political figure visits Nicaragua
4. US State Department gives Nicaragua low ratings on transparency
5. Opposition in Assembly introduces bill to lower energy rates
6. Ombudsperson for Sexual Diversity says police do not protect LGBT citizens
7. Nicaragua cost of basic food products second lowest in Central America
8. Compensation announced for some former banana workers poisoned by Nemagon
9. Police to crack down on bars and slot machine establishments

1. Registration begins for 2015 school year

Registration continued this week for the 2015 school year that will begin on Feb. 9 in the nation’s primary and secondary schools after a rocky start. School officials had understood that registration would begin on Jan. 15, but the government announced on Jan. 5 that registration would start the next day. On Jan. 12 began what the government called “free courses” designed to provide children with “cultural, sports, and recreational activities during the vacations.” Education advisor Salvador Vanegas said activities would include music, dance, sports, foreign languages, first aid, and handicrafts as well as preparing students who had failed subjects to take the make-up exams. Government spokesperson Rosario Murillo said that during this period the Education Ministry will make visits to schools to confirm that they are in condition to receive students. She also announced that the government will provide 700,000 packets of school materials (backpack, notebooks, pencils, pens, etc.) along with 350,000 pairs of shoes to needy children. An estimated 1.6 million children are expected to register. The Ministry of the Family Economy announced that the annual school products fair would be held in Managua between Jan. 17 and 25 at which Nicaraguan producers would have the opportunity to sell school uniforms and other products to parents directly without middlemen.

On Jan. 19, the Ministry of Education began distribution of more than three million text books to the schools, including books in the languages used by the indigenous and creole residents of the Caribbean Coast. Vanegas said that the first and second grade texts are updated with a new system of teaching reading and writing and with student-friendly arithmetic. Students in Nicaragua usually have to buy their own textbooks and Perfecto Arroliga, principal of Adrian Rojas School in Managua, said that this was the first time the education community had witnessed such a massive distribution of textbooks in all subjects.

In related news, the National Engineering University (UNI) announced on Jan. 14 that only 126 high school graduates out of 2,513 had passed the school’s mathematics admission exam with a score of 60% or above, a total of only 5%. These numbers are worse than last year’s results when just under 10% passed. However, the school will accept 1,420 students and those who did not pass the mathematics exam will have to take remedial courses. Diego Muñoz of UNI said that the students had difficulty deciding which formula they should use to solve a problem, reflecting a need to improve secondary math education, but that they should not despair because they will be able to make up their deficiencies in their first year of engineering classes.  Meanwhile, the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua, (UNAN-Managua) scheduled its admission exam for Jan. 23 for the 2015 school year. Last year only 8% passed the mathematics exam while one quarter passed the Spanish exam. UNAN-Managua has space for 8,000 first year students. (La Prensa, Jan. 7, 11; Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 7, 13, 14, 19; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 15, 16)

2. New poll released by M&R Consultores

A new opinion poll released last week by M&R Consultores showed a 58.6% level of support for the Sandinista Party while 33.4% of those polled said they were independents and 8.1% sympathized with one of the opposition parties. Those parties increased their support by 1% since the last survey. Over 70% of those surveyed rated the performance of the opposition parties as “terrible” (pésimo) including 56.1% of those who supported them. The individuals with the highest favorable ratings were First Lady and government spokesperson Rosario Murillo with 76.1%, President Daniel Ortega with 74.9% and Police Chief Aminta Granera with 71.4%. The Army and the Police were the highest ranking institutions with 78.8% of those polled saying that they had confidence in the Army and 69.4% in the Police. This, however, was a drop from 85% for the Army and from 79% for the Police from the September poll. Communications media dropped in credibility from 73.4% to 58.7% and non-governmental organizations in general dropped 17.4 points from September.

The study also showed that 73.3% of those polled said they were satisfied with democracy in their country. Raul Obregon, director of M&R, said that, “We have been measuring this subject for several years and the image that people have of democracy is ‘living in peace’ and ‘living in freedom’. This is what they have been [saying they value as democracy] all these years at a level now of 47.6%. Then there are other aspects [of democracy] such as expressing themselves freely [rated important by] 19%, elections 11%, respect for rights at 7%, and so it appears that for most people living in peace and freedom …includes almost everything.”

The poll showed that 17.1% opposed the proposed interoceanic shipping canal while 20.3% supported it somewhat and 61.6% supported it fully. As for the protests against the canal, those who live along the canal route were divided with 44.2% supporting the protests and 44.6% against the protests. Obregon said that 44.8% of those along the route believe that property owners will benefit from the canal while 44.2% feel that they will be hurt. As pollsters moved away from the canal route, disapproval of the protests grew with 51% of residents of Managua, Carazo, Granada, and Masaya disapproving of the protests and 34.3% supporting them.  The poll reflects the results of 1,720 individual face-to-face interviews in urban and rural areas throughout the country completed between Dec. 13 and 29, 2014. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.41 and a confidence level of 95%. (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 15, 17; Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 15’ http://myrconsultores.com/pdf/sismo_resultados/sismo_43_web.pdf)

3. Russia’s highest ranking woman political figure visits Nicaragua

Valentina Matvienko, who presides over the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of Russia’s legislature) and who is the highest ranking female political figure in Russia, visited Nicaragua last week with a delegation of 55 members of the Council.  Matvienko spoke before the National Assembly and met with President Daniel Ortega. She told the Assembly that Nicaragua is “one of [Russia’s] principal partners in Latin America” and signed an agreement to strengthen bilateral relations in the economic, commercial, scientific, and cultural fields. She said that she hoped that a delegation of Nicaraguan legislators could visit Russia next year. Acting National Assembly President Iris Montenegro said that in the last 15 years, Russia and Nicaragua have signed eleven understanding and cooperation accords which have included collaboration between the Russian armed forces and the Nicaraguan Army. [Montenegro is filling in for National Assembly President Rene Nuñez who is in Costa Rica for medical treatment for a pulmonary illness.] Meanwhile, members of the opposition Independent Liberal Alliance Bench held up improvised signs protesting Russian foreign policy.

President Ortega reminded Matvienko that her first visit to Nicaragua had been in April 1990 shortly after the Sandinista Front had accepted defeat in elections and turned the presidency over to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. Ortega said that Nicaragua under the revolution wanted to have respectful relations with all countries and thus for the first time began a friendly relationship with the Soviet Union. Before that time, he noted, Nicaragua’s powerful partners intervened in the country’s internal affairs but he said that working with Russia had been different.  He added that the FSLN, upon returning to power in 2007, renewed the relationship with Russia with which it retained historic links. (Radio La Primerisima, Jan. 13; El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 14; La Prensa, Jan. 14, 15; Informe Pastran, Jan. 19)

4. US State Department gives Nicaragua low ratings on transparency

On Jan. 14, the United States Department of State released its annual Fiscal Transparency Report for the US fiscal year 2014 (which runs from Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014) on countries that receive US bilateral assistance. The report claims to analyze “the completeness, reliability, and public availability of budget documents, as well as the transparency of natural resource extraction contracting and license procedures.” The report said, “Nicaragua’s budget does not provide information on substantial financial support provided to the government by Venezuela. The reporting on allocations to and earnings from significant state-owned enterprises also lacks detail. Nicaragua’s fiscal transparency would be enhanced by fully reporting off-budget support provided to the government and improving reporting on allocations to and earnings from state-owned enterprises.” In Latin America, the Dominican Republic and Haiti were the other countries receiving US assistance that were found in the report to be lacking in fiscal transparency. The list of 140 countries, which the State Department has been compiling since 2008, has no direct consequences but is used to make recommendations to the countries seen as lacking transparency.

Chairman of the Production, Economy, and Budget Committee of the National Assembly Walmaro Gutierrez, who is a Sandinista, said, “They are mistaken; I believe that we are leaders in the subject of transparency and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund say the same thing.” He added that the assistance from Venezuela can be seen in the social and economic projects that it funds and that the information is easily available from the Central Bank. Among the social projects funded by Venezuelan money have been the subsidies for urban bus fares, electricity subsidies for low income families, and the Zero Usury project; other funds have been invested by ALBANISA in energy generation, agricultural cooperatives, construction, and other activities. Under the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA), half of the payment to Venezuela for oil is in cash and the other half is on credit with favorable repayment arrangements and can be used for social and economic projects. However, according to the US, the reporting on the use of those funds “lacks detail.” (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 15; La Prensa, Jan. 15; http://www.state.gov/e/eb/ifd/oma/235938.htm; http://www.centralamericadata.com/es/article/home/Alba_de_Nicaragua_Sociedad_Anonima; http://www.laluchasigue.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3635:revista-en-vivo-con-alberto-mora&catid=83:alba&Itemid=200)

5. Opposition in Assembly introduces bill to lower energy rates

Opposition deputies in the National Assembly introduced a bill on Jan. 16 that would adjust electricity rates according to the price of oil which has declined by more than 50% in six months. The “Law of Protection for Consumers of Electrical Energy,” written by the Independent Liberal Party Alliance Bench, would mandate that the Nicaraguan Energy Institute (INE) make the evaluations of changes needed to comply with the law and lower rates within 15 days of the entering into force of the law. Opposition Deputy Carlos Langrand said that “The National Assembly is saying to INE and the Ministry of Energy and Mines that it must comply with lowering the rates because they are asphyxiating national industry.” He said that he hoped the majority Sandinista Party would support the measure. Sandinista Deputy Jenny Martinez, chair of the Infrastructure and Public Services Committee, agreed that there should be a review of the effects of the price of oil, but it should be a “profound analysis” of all aspects of the issue because “there are debts to pay.” She said that her committee would do that analysis. (La Prensa, Jan. 16)

6. Ombudsperson for Sexual Diversity says police do not protect LGBT citizens

Government Ombudsperson for Sexual Diversity Samira Montiel said last week that there is resistance on the part of police officers to process complaints of discrimination made by members of the LGBT community and by people living with HIV/AIDS. She said that in spite of the 2008 Penal Code which decriminalized homosexual activity and established penalties for discrimination, no one has been punished for discrimination against LGBT community members. “There are police officers who have homophobic attitudes and who devalue the lives of those with HIV/AIDS or who work in the sex trade,” she explained. She mentioned a case in Chinandega where a person with HIV was beaten with a baseball bat by a neighbor and the police did nothing after a complaint was filed until the departmental prosecutor insisted that the perpetrator be arrested. In Bluefields, a sexual diversity activist was stabbed to death. The killer was identified but was allowed time to escape to Costa Rica. She called on the police to put in place sanctions against officers who do not do their duty to protect citizens without regard to their sexual orientation, illness, handicap, or economic or social situation. (La Prensa, Jan. 15)

7. Nicaragua cost of basic food products second lowest in Central America

Nicaragua has the second cheapest canasta básica (basic basket) of foods in Central America according to Nicaragua’s Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) which pegged the canasta básica at US$304 in October 2014. COSEP President Jose Adan Aguerri said, “Nicaragua has eight products that are cheaper than the other countries of Central America, four that are equal, and seven that are more expensive.” Nicaragua’s national diet of rice, beans and tortillas, plus cooking oil are the cheapest in Central America as are beef, bread, tomatoes and bananas. Only El Salvador beats Nicaragua on the cost of the canasta básica at US$172. After Nicaragua comes Costa Rica at US$305, Honduras at US$375, and Guatemala at US$422. However, when adding clothing and other household items, Nicaragua’s canasta básica becomes the highest in the region at US$459, but that is because the other Central American countries do not include those products in their canasta básica. (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 15)

8. Compensation announced for some former banana workers poisoned by Nemagon

Chinandega lawyer Antonio Hernandez Ordeñana announced that he has reached a settlement with Dole Food Company to compensate 300 former banana workers who suffered from exposure to the pesticide Nemagon, the sole function of which was to improve the appearance of exported bananas in the 1970s. Hernandez represents 1,700 former banana workers and he says the Dole settlement agreement will expand to his clients in other municipalities in the coming period. He made no mention of the amount of the pay-out to victims. The Chinandega Local Civil Court has before it claims for compensation by 4,150 former banana workers. Hernandez also said that this agreement with Dole paves the way for obtaining further compensation from Dow Chemical, Shell Oil, and Amvac, all companies that manufactured Nemagon (also known as Fumazone). Amvac reached an out of court settlement to pay US$300,000 to 13 pesticide victims in 2007 as part of a case filed in California. Dole Foods continues to fight cases filed in the United States. [For those who would like an update on this issue, an excellent, if slightly technical, article was published in 2014 here: http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1115&context=gguelj] (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 18)

9. Police to crack down on bars and slot machine establishments

Police Commissioner Manuel Zambrana announced that the police are launching a crack-down on bars and slot machine establishments that operate in Managua. The law requires that businesses that serve liquor or operate slot machines be at least 400 meters from schools and churches. There are 334 such establishments in District III that will be investigated for compliance with the law Zambrana said. He encouraged the public to file complaints about problem businesses. Zambrana said the police will work together with school boards and teachers as well. The proliferation of bars and gambling centers has caused problems such as students cutting school to play slots or being assaulted by drunks outside of bars. Zambrana said that there will be “zero tolerance” for infractions and that many businesses will have to relocate. The crack-down was announced in advance of the Feb. 9 opening of the new school year. (El Nuevo Diario, Jan. 13)