The Ortega-Murillo regime’s vast “army of advisors” continues to be restructured. Nicaragua’s vice-dictator, Rosario Murillo, in her speech this afternoon, read a press release in which she indicated that “the presidential advisors, with the rank of ministers, have been ratified,” including among them 16 loyal to Ortega and one who will serve her, that is, the vice-presidency.
The ratified Orteguistas were Bayardo Arce Chestnut, always as “advisor for economic and financial affairs”; Leonardo Ovidio Reyes Ramirez, President of the Central Bank and “advisor on issues of Banking and Finance and Productive Sectors”; the general commissioner Horacio Sebastian Rocha Lopez as “Security Affairs Advisor”; Samuel Santos Lopez, former foreign minister, who remains as advisor for Policies and International Affairs; Salvador Vanegas Guido, who maintains his position as advisor for All Modalities of Education; Manuel Ali Rivas Vallecilloas Security Advisor; and Steadman Bassoon Müller as an advisor for Policies towards Indigenous Peoples.
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They also ordered to ratify Jose Francisco “Chico” Lopez as an advisor for Production and Trade; Mohamed Mohamed Farrara Lashtar as an advisor for Africa, the Middle East and Arab countries; Ivan Acosta Montalvanformer Minister of Finance and Public Credit as advisor to International Organizations; Wilmor Efrain Lopez Martinez Newly appointed advisor for Traditional and Popular Culture. Former ministers are retained Sonia Castro Gonzalez and Carolina Asuncion Davila Murillo as advisors on health issues; already Valdrack Ludwing Jaentschke Whitaker, Ivan Lara Palacios and Orlando Jose Tardencilla as advisors on issues of Policies and International Affairs.
Vice-dictator Murillo for the first time confirmed an advisor for the Vice Presidency, placing the recently decapitated Justa del Rosario Perez Acuña, former minister of Mefcca, as his advisor on tourism issues. Justa Pérez had been announced days before as presidential advisor, but now Murillo presents her as an advisor to his office and not to Ortega.
Missing names on list of advisors
The FSLN spokesperson did not specify whether the list of advisors was complete or whether those who were not included would be removed from their posts. However, she indicated that this is part of the “organization and optimization of the service to our people from the structures of our Government.”
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Some Ortega loyalists and even the children of dictators were not included in this first list of ratified advisors, among them: Laureano Ortega Murillopresidential advisor for Investments, Trade and International Cooperation; Edward Centenothe ousted former minister of the Ministry of Agriculture (MAG) and who was appointed in 2022 as “Presidential advisor for specific missions”; and Carlos Midenceformer ambassador of Argentina and Spain, who in January was appointed as presidential advisor for “all modalities of higher education.”
