The United States continues “deeply concerned about the authoritarian path” of Nicaragua, whose scenario has worsened after the general elections in November. Washington insists that these elections did not have all the guarantees of a free and transparent process and urges its partners and allies to continue pressuring the Managua Executive.
“As President (Joe) Biden says, what President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo orchestrated on November 7 was a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair,” said Emily Mendrala, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US Department of State.
The official, who participated in a session of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, based in Washington, to address the situation in the Central American country, insisted that the current government of Managua “no longer has a democratic mandate.”
Given this situation, Mendrala promised to continue “using the diplomatic and economic tools” at his disposal to “support the calls of Nicaraguans for greater freedom, responsibility” with the aim of achieving “free and fair elections.”
Support from partners and allies
The White House is aware that this movement cannot be done independently, but that the majority support of the governments of the continent is needed. That is why Mendrala, on behalf of the administration, urged “like-minded partners in the region and around the world who support democratic values to join in these efforts.”
“We are with the Nicaraguan people who are looking for a government that respects the will of the people and the democratic process,” he added in this regard.
The movements of the United States
At the end of last year, the United States Government, with bipartisan support, gave the green light to the Law to Strengthen Nicaragua’s Adherence to the Conditions for Electoral Reform, known as the Renacer Law, whose purpose is to put even more pressure on Ortega and Murillo in the face of the lack of democratic guarantees and the repressive actions against opponents and activists opposed to the Executive of the Central American country.
Mendrala celebrated that this law would allow “expanding the list of corrupt and anti-democratic actors in Nicaragua,” among other measures.
“We have applied sanctions to 46 people and nine entities since December 2017 and we have worked to coordinate to implement sanctions in conjunction with Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom,” he explained.
Also, since “the most recent repression began, in June 2021, measures have been taken to apply visa restrictions to more than 280 Nicaraguans. We will continue to use these diplomatic and economic tools to increase pressure,” he assured.
At the same time, he recalled that “strong measures have also been taken through multilateral organizations, including the OAS (Organization of American States) and the UN (United Nations)” to “approve a series of resolutions and condemn the actions of the regime from Nicaragua”.
Nicaragua has breached the Democratic Charter
In addition, it points out that the Government of Nicaragua failed to comply with its commitments under the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which it signed 20 years ago, allowing “its citizens to have the right to democracy” and that the “Government of Nicaragua has the obligation to promote and defend that right ”.
“The Ortega and Murillo regime has not fulfilled this commitment to have credible elections, has silenced and arrested opponents and, ultimately, has taken steps to establish an authoritarian family dynasty that is not accountable to the Nicaraguan people.” , denounced.
The requests to Ortega and Murillo
Along these lines, he mentioned that April marked the fourth anniversary of the “bloody repression by the Nicaraguan government against widespread popular protests” and lamented that, despite all efforts, “the crisis continues” in the country.
“Since 2018, Nicaraguans have suffered an upsurge in repression, the closure of all democratic spaces, the exile of thousands of journalists, members of civil society, human rights defenders and opposition figures, and a growing number of Nicaraguan refugees, asylum seekers and migrants throughout the region,” the official highlighted.
However, he criticized the fact that Managua continued to “keep political prisoners in deplorable conditions, denying them access to their families, legal representatives and necessary medicines.”
“We call on the Ortega and Murillo regime to immediately release those unjustly imprisoned for denouncing the abuses,” he said.
USA committed to the restoration of democracy
In conclusion, he assured that the United States remains “committed as always to the restoration of democracy in Nicaragua” and thanked other nations for joining the efforts “to support and give hope to the people of Nicaragua, who aspire to elect their leaders through free and fair elections.
“The world will not be deterred by the autocratic regime, and we stand in solidarity with the Nicaraguan people,” he added.
Rapprochement with the Government of Managua
It has emerged in recent days that a son of President Daniel Ortega, an influential figure in Nicaragua’s leftist government, has quietly approached the administration of President Joe Biden in an effort to re-engage with the United States, according to people. familiar with the matter.
Laureano Ortega’s proposal comes at a time when he and other members of his family and his father’s inner circle are under US sanctions and Managua sees its ally Russia increasingly isolated by Washington and other Western powers due to the war in Ukraine.
The Government of the United States confirmed that it maintains “bilateral communication” with the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, but has not given more details in this regard.
“We will not comment on specific interactions between the US government and the Ortega-Murillo regime, but we maintain a range of bilateral communication with the regime, and we will continue to press for the release of political prisoners,” he told the press. voice of america a State Department spokesman.
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