New-style Sandinistas regain power in hopeful Nicaragua
-08/11/06
Daniel Ortega, the l
New-style Sandinistas regain power in hopeful Nicaragua
-08/11/06
Daniel Ortega, the leader of a grassroots alliance of socialists and Christians which ended years of dictatorship in Nicaragua, Central America, in 1979, has been re-elected as president 16 years after being voted out of power following a US-funded insurgency against his Sandinista administration.
There were celebrations on the streets of the capital Managua today, after Ortega ñ who has moved away from Marxism to Catholicism – was declared outright winner of the first round of the countryís general election, with 38 per cent of the votes and an unassailable lead over his rivals.
Mr Ortega, who has switched army fatigues for civvy gear since the end of his previous twelve-year rule, made reconciliation a major theme of his campaign. John Lennonís ëGive Peace a Chanceí anthem was his election song, and he included former guerrilla enemies within his team.
The ëNew Sandinistasí (the party is named after nationalist hero Augusto C. Sandino) say that they will pursue a market route to social justice this time, and have disavowed the more confrontational tactics which ground their often innovative social experiment to a war-bound halt in 1990.
ìWe cannot speak of winners and losers, because in this process all of us should work together for the good of Nicaraguaî, Ortega stated in his first statement after being confirmed as winner.
He also encouraged all citizens to ìgive Nicaragua a sign of stability, placing our commitment to overcome poverty above our political stances.î
The FSLN (Frente Sandinista de LiberaciÛn Nacional) has faced splits and arguments since it lost power, although it has always retained a high proportion of the popular vote and a big stake in local government and the NGO sector.
Nicaragua became a cause celebre for liberation theology in the 1980s, with several radical priests serving in the government, base Christian communities helping with reconstruction after years of dictatorship, and international volunteers assisting in ground-breaking literacy and land reform programmes.
However, the refusal of the FSLN to negotiate with the US-funded contra rebels and its mishandling of the economy and indigenous issues on the East coast hit it dear.
In 1990 the party, which had re-introduced parliamentary democracy to Nicaragua, but maintained strong party interests in civil administration and the military, was voted out by a public tired of war and pessimistic about the prospects of change.
Ernesto Cardenal, the monk and mystic who was the Sandinistaís inspirational minister of culture, resigned from the party with many others when, in the bitter aftermath of defeat, a large number of FSLN politicians siphoned off land seizures to their own benefit.
Years of corruption and mismanagement followed, with privatization, unfair trade conditions and IMF restrictions condemning the mass of the people to the poverty which the popular Sandinista revolution had pledged to eliminate.
The Sandinistas have often been characterised as Marxist in the media, but the roots of the movement was always bewilderingly diverse. Its red and black flag reflects anarchist roots in Mexico, and in government socialists, Christians, communists, social democrats and non-aligned radicals shared power.
Today Daniel Ortega, who has staged a come-back after allegations of sexual abuse, said that he was a changed man and would endeavour to change Nicaragua for the better, with poverty-elimination a priority.
Grassroots social justice activists are elated at the result, but the National Assemblyís criminalization of abortion ñ urged on by the Catholic Church and conservative Protestant in a recent 50,000 rally ñ has caused anger and anxiety among womenís groups. Along with the Catholic ban on contraception it threatens to push poor women, in particular, to desperate measures.
There was controversy over overt attempts by the US ambassador to Nicaragua to influence the result of the election, claiming that American aid would be cut if people opted for Ortega.
It still possible that attempts will be made to claim that there have been electoral irregularities. But international observers say the poll was free and fair.
Daniel Ortega now joins seven strategic left-wing and centre-left leaders across Latin America. But Nicaragua remains one of the poorest nations on the planet. It faces massive challenges.
Ekklesiaís Simon Barrow adds: It is hard for those of us who witnessed first-hand the attempt to build a new kind of society in Nicaragua in the 1980s not to feel deeply moved by this election result, even acknowledging the difficulties and failures of the FSLN. The Sandinistas, for all their faults, ended brutal dictatorship and brought literacy, democracy, the abolition of the death penalty, land reform and ground-up energy for development to a people trapped in despair.
The US-backed insurgency helped destroy many of these gains, and ensured the state over-militarised in both attitude and economic terms. The 1990 post-defeat descent to corruption disillusioned radical Christian participants in the experiment, especially, and with the growth of conservative religious forces inside the country and continued US pressure from without, it will be interesting to see what Ortega can achieve.
Activists say that grassroots initiatives and international solidarity campaigns to back better aid, fair trade and just debt and finance polices will play a not insignificant role in helping to moving a social justice agenda. The US Nicaragua Network has already pledged its support. The Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign in Britain and equivalents in other parts of Europe will be doing likewise.
New-style Sandinistas regain power in hopeful Nicaragua
-08/11/06
Daniel Ortega, the leader of a grassroots alliance of socialists and Christians which ended years of dictatorship in Nicaragua, Central America, in 1979, has been re-elected as president 16 years after being voted out of power following a US-funded insurgency against his Sandinista administration.
There were celebrations on the streets of the capital Managua today, after Ortega ñ who has moved away from Marxism to Catholicism – was declared outright winner of the first round of the countryís general election, with 38 per cent of the votes and an unassailable lead over his rivals.
Mr Ortega, who has switched army fatigues for civvy gear since the end of his previous twelve-year rule, made reconciliation a major theme of his campaign. John Lennonís ëGive Peace a Chanceí anthem was his election song, and he included former guerrilla enemies within his team.
The ëNew Sandinistasí (the party is named after nationalist hero Augusto C. Sandino) say that they will pursue a market route to social justice this time, and have disavowed the more confrontational tactics which ground their often innovative social experiment to a war-bound halt in 1990.
ìWe cannot speak of winners and losers, because in this process all of us should work together for the good of Nicaraguaî, Ortega stated in his first statement after being confirmed as winner.
He also encouraged all citizens to ìgive Nicaragua a sign of stability, placing our commitment to overcome poverty above our political stances.î
The FSLN (Frente Sandinista de LiberaciÛn Nacional) has faced splits and arguments since it lost power, although it has always retained a high proportion of the popular vote and a big stake in local government and the NGO sector.
Nicaragua became a cause celebre for liberation theology in the 1980s, with several radical priests serving in the government, base Christian communities helping with reconstruction after years of dictatorship, and international volunteers assisting in ground-breaking literacy and land reform programmes.
However, the refusal of the FSLN to negotiate with the US-funded contra rebels and its mishandling of the economy and indigenous issues on the East coast hit it dear.
In 1990 the party, which had re-introduced parliamentary democracy to Nicaragua, but maintained strong party interests in civil administration and the military, was voted out by a public tired of war and pessimistic about the prospects of change.
Ernesto Cardenal, the monk and mystic who was the Sandinistaís inspirational minister of culture, resigned from the party with many others when, in the bitter aftermath of defeat, a large number of FSLN politicians siphoned off land seizures to their own benefit.
Years of corruption and mismanagement followed, with privatization, unfair trade conditions and IMF restrictions condemning the mass of the people to the poverty which the popular Sandinista revolution had pledged to eliminate.
The Sandinistas have often been characterised as Marxist in the media, but the roots of the movement was always bewilderingly diverse. Its red and black flag reflects anarchist roots in Mexico, and in government socialists, Christians, communists, social democrats and non-aligned radicals shared power.
Today Daniel Ortega, who has staged a come-back after allegations of sexual abuse, said that he was a changed man and would endeavour to change Nicaragua for the better, with poverty-elimination a priority.
Grassroots social justice activists are elated at the result, but the National Assemblyís criminalization of abortion ñ urged on by the Catholic Church and conservative Protestant in a recent 50,000 rally ñ has caused anger and anxiety among womenís groups. Along with the Catholic ban on contraception it threatens to push poor women, in particular, to desperate measures.
There was controversy over overt attempts by the US ambassador to Nicaragua to influence the result of the election, claiming that American aid would be cut if people opted for Ortega.
It still possible that attempts will be made to claim that there have been electoral irregularities. But international observers say the poll was free and fair.
Daniel Ortega now joins seven strategic left-wing and centre-left leaders across Latin America. But Nicaragua remains one of the poorest nations on the planet. It faces massive challenges.
Ekklesiaís Simon Barrow adds: It is hard for those of us who witnessed first-hand the attempt to build a new kind of society in Nicaragua in the 1980s not to feel deeply moved by this election result, even acknowledging the difficulties and failures of the FSLN. The Sandinistas, for all their faults, ended brutal dictatorship and brought literacy, democracy, the abolition of the death penalty, land reform and ground-up energy for development to a people trapped in despair.
The US-backed insurgency helped destroy many of these gains, and ensured the state over-militarised in both attitude and economic terms. The 1990 post-defeat descent to corruption disillusioned radical Christian participants in the experiment, especially, and with the growth of conservative religious forces inside the country and continued US pressure from without, it will be interesting to see what Ortega can achieve.
Activists say that grassroots initiatives and international solidarity campaigns to back better aid, fair trade and just debt and finance polices will play a not insignificant role in helping to moving a social justice agenda. The US Nicaragua Network has already pledged its support. The Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign in Britain and equivalents in other parts of Europe will be doing likewise.