The Nicaraguan government confirmed through a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a consensus was not reached among the Central American countries to elect the candidate proposed by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Valdrack Jaentschke, as Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA), whom the opposition accuses of trying to infiltrate the regional body to open the doors to the interests of China and Russia in that instance.
The foreign ministers of the countries that make up SICA met this Wednesday, August 28, to vote for the position of Secretary General of SICA, which has been vacant since November 2023, following the surprise resignation of Warner Vargas, a candidate who had already been proposed by Nicaragua and who is unofficially said to have been withdrawn by Murillo.
Murillo also confirmed in her daily address that Jaentschke was rejected by the majority of SICA members and claims that it was due to the countries’ consultations on the candidate. She also states that she will request new sessions until a “necessary decision” is made, otherwise, she threatens that Central America could do without SICA.
“We reiterate to the Members of the System that with each passing day without a General Secretariat, SICA becomes weaker and weaker, and each Country and each Government are seeking, as is logical, alternative Mechanisms to unilaterally carry out their own actions (sic),” says the statement.
The threat
The document, attributed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but which has all the signs of having been written by Rosario Murillo – spelling mistakes and incorrect punctuation included, as is the custom of the first lady – concludes by revealing an implicit threat to the countries that Nicaragua could withdraw from the organization.
“We will propose holding new meetings to reach the increasingly necessary decision, which cannot be postponed any longer, unless Central America decides to do without this System, instead of strengthening it.”
Related news: Valdrack Jaentschke, the Sandinista spy agent who received money from the United States and now wants SICA
In the same document, Nicaragua accuses the leaders of SICA of not recognizing the rights of countries by not making the corresponding decisions, in clear reference to the annoyance of the dictatorship for not being able to place its candidate within the Secretariat of the Central American organization.
Murillo unleashed her “fury” against the opponents who criticized Jaentschke for 7 minutes at the beginning of her speech on Wednesday, calling them “stupid”, “dark specimens” and even “spoilers of non-existent parades.”
A source within SICA who prefers not to be named says that only Honduras supported the proposal of the candidate presented by Nicaragua. Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic voted against, while El Salvador and Panama abstained from voting.
For opposition leader Félix Maradiaga, the rejection of Ortega’s candidate represents a significant victory for democracy in the region. According to Maradiaga, this result prevents SICA from falling into the hands of a representative of the Ortega regime, which would have meant a further setback for integration and democratic values in Central America.
“It is important to highlight the key role of the various opposition platforms that united in a single voice to advocate against this candidacy. This unity of action shows that, when democratic forces are aligned, it is possible to stop the advances of authoritarian regimes and protect regional institutions,” says Maradiaga.
According to the opposition, Nicaragua’s permanence within the regional body is in question because SICA and its members must be linked to the Organization of American States (OAS).
