Political leaders of the Blue and White National Unity (Unab), Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy (ACJD) and the former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States Arturo McFields consider that the election of Werner Vargas as Secretary General of the System of Central American Integration (SICA) is a threat to the security of the region because it does not represent the interests of the peoples, in particular, democracy, peace, justice, freedom and human rights.
Vargas is the latest in a string of candidates proposed by Ortega to hold the most important position of SICA, a regional organization that was without a secretary general for more than a year due to the refusal of the member countries to choose the other applicants of the Nicaraguan dictatorship. .
The Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Arnoldo André, defended the election of Vargas by stating that he was “the best candidate” that the Nicaraguan regime could propose for the general secretariat of SICA and that the vote in favor of the Sandinista emissary “is not a I support Ortega. He was also elected to unblock the execution of 153 million dollars of international cooperation that were in limbo due to the lack of his highest representative.
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“It is completely false to affirm that the election of the candidate Werner Vargas is a boost for Daniel Ortega. Costa Rica maintains its condemnation of the violation of Human Rights that occurs in Nicaragua. We are concerned about the political prisoners and their families, the lack of freedom of the press and other aspects that have been resolved by the International Organizations, whose resolutions we have strongly supported”, he wrote in a opinion piece published in Diario Extra.
McFields: “Ortega is a factor of instability for Central American security”
The former diplomat of the dictatorship, Arturo McFields, pointed out that the presidents that make up SICA, by electing Ortega’s candidate to the general secretariat, “violated and trampled on” the Tegucigalpa Protocol because the organization’s founding act establishes that the member states must respect and defend human rights and democracy; however, the Nicaraguan dictatorship “is a symbol, a cause of a lack of democracy, a political and institutional crisis, human rights violations and, above all, it is a factor of instability for Central American security.”
“Today we are in a day of mourning for SICA. SICA has died today, it has lost all institutionality and once the institutionality is lost it is difficult to find it again. They are the signs of the new times we live in, in which integration without integrity is proclaimed. An award has just been given to a person (Daniel Ortega) who is exploiting, mistreating his people, violating their human rights, kidnapping the people of Nicaragua”, he emphasized.
“It was a mistake to have handed over the jewel in the crown of SICA to a dictatorship, sooner or later the same countries that did it just to get some type of financing or credit will regret it. A regional institution that little by little had been gaining a certain type of credibility and solidity has been damaged. Central American integration has gone back 20 years. It is a day of mourning, it is a day of lamentation for Central America », he continued.
«Consolidation of authoritarianism in the region» and the SICA
Juan Carlos Ocampo, a member of the Executive Council of the Civic Alliance, explained that the election of the candidate proposed by the Ortega Murillo dictatorship to SICA is a sign of the “consolidation of authoritarianism in the region,” where, according to him, authoritarianisms of left and right.
«The dictatorship in Nicaragua and the consolidation of authoritarianism in the region is a threat to stability, security and the rule of law in Central America. Nicaragua’s experience has also made it clear that prioritizing economic interests over democratic values is not a good bet,” Campos said.
“It is of no use to our region for political leaders to agree if it does not translate into stability, security, inclusive and sustainable development. In the long run there will be more violence, more instability. It is up to the civil society of our countries to confront this authoritarian drift in the region, in strategic collaboration with the international community”, he added.
Ana Quiróz Viquez, a member of the Political Council of Unab, assured that the organization she represents regrets the decision of the member states of SICA to hand over the highest position to an emissary of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo because “we consider that this man does not represent the values that move the inter-American system will not be able to represent the interests of the people of Nicaragua, in the first place; nor from the rest of Central America.
Fernando Brenes, member of the Executive Council of the Civic Alliance, assured that the governments of Central America have assumed “authoritarian positions in the way of governing similar to the Ortega Murillo regime to the detriment of the democratic construction of the area that had been taking place since the Peace Agreements. , as we find ourselves at a point of threat to democratic systems».
Brenes stressed that the election of Vargas in SICA is part of a “logic of authoritarian drift that the Central American region suffers; which constitutes a challenge for the United States in particular and for the democratic system».
