The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, greeted this Thursday the 201st anniversary of the independence of Nicaragua, and affirmed that true emancipation involves listening to “the voice of the people” through free elections.
“True independence and sovereignty are concepts that both the United States and the people of Nicaragua value highly. Respecting them begins with recognizing their true source: the voice of the people expressed in free and fair elections,” said Blinken, in a message dedicated to the Nicaraguan historic day and broadcast in Managua by the US embassy.
The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, who has governed the country since 2007 amid allegations of electoral fraud, usually vindicates the independence and sovereignty of the country in his speeches, in which he usually accuses the United States of being “interfering”, which has applied economic and migratory sanctions to employees and relatives of the Sandinista leader accused of violating human rights.
“When Nicaraguans can once again freely elect their government without restrictions on their political expression or participation, free from the fear of unjust detention, they will be able to chart their own course and realize their full potential,” the Secretary of State reiterated.
The voting process in November of last year, in which Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, were re-elected, was rejected by the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union and part of the international community, which They alleged a lack of legitimacy, because it occurred after the application of restrictive laws and in the midst of a wave of arrests that put seven candidates for the Presidency for the opposition in jail and two others in exile.
Supporting the people of Nicaragua
“The United States will continue to support, along with other democratic nations, the legitimate aspirations of the Nicaraguan people to restore democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and overcome the enormous obstacles they face today,” Blinken reiterated.
The US official recalled that his country is ready “to participate in or support efforts in good faith designed to overcome current conflicts and build a better future in which all Nicaraguans can prosper,” as occurred in the case of the covid-19 pandemic. 19, when he donated more than 1.6 million Pfizer vaccines.
Nicaragua became independent from the Spanish Crown on September 15, 1821, in the same process as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
