The government of the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, ordered this Thursday to remove his ambassador to Spain, Carlos Midence, from his duties.
Through a letter issued by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Spanish Foreign Ministry, the Ortega government argued its decision based on alleged “interfering pressures and threats” against the diplomat.
“This decision responds to the continuous pressure and interventionist threats on our ambassador, which make the exercise of diplomatic work impossible,” said the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry.
Spain has been one of the countries most critical of the Ortega government, especially for the presidential elections held in November 2021, which he referred to as “a mockery” of democracy.
On November 8, one day after the votes in Managua, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured that the elections had not been fair or free and noted that opponents who wanted to compete in the process were imprisoned.
diplomatic offensive
The Ortega government has initiated a diplomatic offensive against those who have criticized the current administration.
The Vatican representative in Nicaragua, Waldemar Stalisnaw, who left the country unexpectedly on March 6, and although there was no official statement about his retirement, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, Carlos Herrera, told the channel 10 that the diplomat’s departure occurred because his administration had “certain limitations.”
“If there is no communication, what is the use of being in that role as a diplomat?” Herrera questioned.
The departure of the Vatican diplomat occurs after the expulsion on February 24 of the Colombian ambassador, Alfredo Rangel Suárez, who was also accused of alleged interference in Nicaragua.
Analysts have commented to the voice of america that Ortega’s diplomatic relations with the rest of the international community are in the worst moments, after the protests that took place in 2018 and that left more than 300 deadas reported by the IACHR, but worsened after the November 2021 elections.
In fact, at least 25 countries that make up the Organization of American States (OAS) disqualified the Nicaraguan elections in a resolution that noted that the elections “were not free, fair or transparent.”
For his part, Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, have reacted angrily to the individual declarations of various countries and have said that “Nicaragua is not anyone’s colony.”
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
