The former president of Uruguay José “Pepé” Mujicaattacked again against the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela stating that today they are “indefensible” regimes. Mujica, who is currently recovering from an operation after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, has made his position clear for years against both dictatorships.
The 89-year-old former president indicates that he is already prepared for his death after health complications in recent months due to esophageal cancer. He gives few interviews, however, in his last interview he took the opportunity to harshly criticize Ortega and Maduro and their political ambiguity claiming that they play at democracy, but lack the courage to admit that they are actually for a “dictatorship of the proletariat.”
«Nicaragua and Venezuela They are indefensible as they are today. On the one hand, they play at democracy and do not have the courage to say: ‘We are for the dictatorship of the proletariat,’ Mujica said. «At the end of the day, that is what the Cubans decided. It will be a mess, but it is a political decision they made many years ago. These play at democracy, but when they don’t get the result… nah, it’s bullshit,” he said.
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In 2023, the former president stated that the Nicaraguan dictator, Daniel Ortega, “got out of control a while ago,” in reference to the wave of repression of opponents in Managua since 2018. At the beginning of 2024, Mujica also stated that Ortega plays with democracy by calling elections and imprisoning candidates and repressing opponents.
The dictatorships of Nicolás Maduro and Daniel Ortega have lost the support of the main left-wing leaders in Latin America, including Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva, from Brazil; Gustavo Petro, from Colombia; and Gabriel Boric, from Chile; all have been confrontational against the regimes of Nicaragua and Venezuela.
After 2018, the Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo suffered harsh anti-government protests, which triggered persecution by the State against Nicaraguan opponents, students, social and religious leaders, and personalities. The use of force by the police and paramilitaries left people dead, the repression has been condemned by the international community.
