The United States issued a Level 3 advisory on December 5, 2022, for traveling to . PDF Political Culture of Democracy in Nicaragua, 2010 Democratic Economic activity started to rebound in early 2021, fueled by remittances, rising exports and renewed investment. Nicaragua's expansion in 2022 was driven by robust private consumption fueled by remittances and net exports. It has virtually no clients due to the ongoing political crisis. But the window did not remain open as traditional political actors and massive corruption took a toll, culminating in a cynical political arrangement whereby Ortega could run again and win with 35 percent of the popular vote. Belli, who lives in exile in Spain, responded to having her citizenship removed by publishing one of her poems on Twitter. Economic activity started to rebound in early 2021, fueled by remittances, rising exports and renewed investment. Press In September 2019, the newspaper El Nuevo Diario announced that it would close after nearly 40 years. Nicaragua is a safe destination for travelers. The Electoral Council, stacked with. Ortegas sons and daughters have been appointed to prominent positions such as ambassador and presidential adviser. measures that threaten judicial independence. Seven people were killed in postelection clashes between government and opposition supporters, according to the Nicaraguan Center of Human Rights (CENIDH). Human rights organizations reported continued monitoring and surveillance in 2019. The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) is a subdivision of the global consulting firm Paladin 7. Backpacking in Nicaragua has always been very popular. by Kevin Zeese - Nils McCune There is a great deal of false and inaccurate information about Nicaragua in the media. This would almost certainly move Nicaragua further away politically from the US and other neighboring countries. When the ballots were tallied, however, Ortega received nearly 76% of the votes. Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? The CTG produces W.A.T.C.H resources using daily threat intelligence, also designed to complement CTG specialty reports which utilize analytical and scenario-based planning. While such largescale violence was not repeated in 2019, heavy-handed repression of the opposition has continued. Stability and economic and political continuity is what Fitch Ratings envisages for Nicaragua after the outcome of the presidential elections last Sunday, in which President Daniel Ortega was declared the winner, with 70% of the vote, according to a report by the Supreme Electoral Council. The number of Nicaraguans arriving at the U.S. border has also increased. During the trip, Lavrov met with the heads of state of Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba in their respective countries, as well as another meeting with Bolivian emissaries during his stop in Venezuela. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, POLITICAL, AND AIDS IN NICARAGUA: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, POLITICAL, AND SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVES Nicola Low, Matthias Egger, Anna Gorter, Peter Sandiford, Alcides Gonzalez, Johanna Pauw, Jane Ferrie, and George Davey Smith Analysis and Commentary. Soviet and Cuban support had dried up, US assistance was ramped up, and, with passage of the CAFTA-DR trade agreement, international markets opened up. Central America, southernmost region of North America, lying between Mexico and South America and comprising Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize. [4] The economic recession has almost certainly contributed to the rise of political corruption by those seeking power and influence. Officers, CTG continuously tracks all events to provide current, fact-based analysis. President Ortega has consolidated all branches of government and most public institutions, as well as the countrys media, under his partys control, allowing him and the FSLN great influence over peoples political choices. The 2018 collapse of institutions, that years bloody crackdown on dissenters, and continuing government repression since have created a climate of fear and mistrust that discourages free movement. Still, the goal should not be to wreck Nicaraguas already-challenged economy or to create conditions that will build migration pressures. [6] Nearly half of Nicaragua's work force, including agricultural workers, is unionized. Nicaragua : Development news, research, data | World Bank World Report 2021: Nicaragua | Human Rights Watch Any real hope of reversing our environmental degradation will require U.S. and international policymakers to strengthen protections for Indigenous environmentalists. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has granted protectionary measures to several journalists in light of harassment and death threats. The constitution and laws nominally recognize the rights of indigenous communities, but those rights have not been respected in practice. Is Nicaraguas descent into dictatorship irreversible? Those deprived of citizenship on Wednesday included the internationally acclaimed novelist Sergio Ramrez, the poet and writer Gioconda Belli, the investigative journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, the auxiliary bishop of Nicaraguas capital, Managua, Silvio Bez, and Miranda, an award-winning reporter who writes for the Spanish newspaper El Pas and the Guardian. The index is an average of several other indexes from the Economist Intelligence Unit, the World Economic Forum, and the Political Risk Services, among others. Nicaragua is divided into 15 departments: Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Estel, Granada, Jinotega, Len, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rivas, Ro San Juan, as well as in two autonomous regions: North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. ProNicaragua, already heavily politicized, became more so after President Ortega installed his son, Laureano Ortega (who was designated for sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)), as the organization's primary public face. Is Nicaragua Safe? (2023 Safety Guide) - The Broke Backpacker The people rule and today made their decision: not to legitimate this masquerade, said the dissident Civic Alliance. (modern). The 2015 sovereign security law has been criticized for militarizing civilian agencies. On November 7, 2021 Nicaragua held a controversial presidential election. The EU has also sanctioned Nicaraguan officials. To bring them to the table Ortega must guarantee that his government will release political prisoners, respect human rights and civil liberties, and allow for the opening of genuine dialogue spaces. Political and economic unrest in Nicaragua could stoke the flames in a region where insecurity has forced tens of thousands to flee in recent years. World Report 2022: Nicaragua | Human Rights Watch Thu 16 Feb 2023 09.29 EST First published on Thu 16 Feb 2023 08.46 EST Daniel Ortega's authoritarian regime has intensified its political crackdown, stripping 94 Nicaraguans of their citizenship,. The United States should work with foreign allies and Nicaraguan democratic actors to craft an approach that offers both pressure and relief. The sanctions are likely to push Nicaragua to develop stronger relationships with US adversaries. Since April 2018, human rights defenders and leaders of civil society organizations have experienced severe harassment, arbitrary detention, and arbitrary expulsion. For all intents and purposes, Nicaragua is now a consolidated dictatorship with one overriding goal: the long-run institutionalization of Ortega and MurilloOrMu in the local vernacularand, eventually, the elevation of the next generation of family to leadership. Montealegre was expelled from the PLI a few months ahead of the polls, severely damaging the partys competitiveness. Publications In November, a spokesperson for the OHCHR condemned the governments persistent repression of dissent and the ongoing pattern of arbitrary arrests.. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega won the elections on Monday, November 8, 2021 with more than 75% of votes, after imprisoning most of his political rivals throughout 2021. Nicaragua, combined with the very stable political atmosphere in Costa Rica compared to that in = < _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ = - > Political Culture and Regime Type: Evidence from Nicaragua and Costa Rica . CTG has a developed business acumen that proactively identifies and counteracts the threat of terrorism through intelligence and investigative products. Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? PDF United States Policy Toward Revolutionary Nicaragua - Jstor A resolution at the Organization of American State condemning the electoral farce passed overwhelmingly in the days prior to voting, but it had no apparent impact and countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Argentina shamefully withheld support. Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, religious, gender, LGBT, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities? The constitution provides for a directly elected president, and elections are held every five years. The PLI won just 2 seats, in contrast to the 26 seats it won in the 2011 election. This includes seats given to outgoing Vice President Jaime Morales Carazo and presidential runner-up Fabio Gadea Mantilla. 'This is huge': Nicaragua frees 222 political prisoners and flies them Access to the internet remains unrestricted, and many people still speak their minds freely on social networks. The government has refused to discuss electoral reforms or early elections as called for by the Nicaraguan population. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Are the peoples political choices free from domination by forces that are external to the political sphere, or by political forces that employ extrapolitical means? Steven Cortez, Stacey Casas, Raphael Martin, SOUTHCOM Team, Woman protesting for democracy in Nicaragua[1]. The families of victims of regime violence are subjected to routine monitoring and surveillance. Has Nicaragua's President Become A Dictator? He's Jailing Political From a political perspective, the situation in the country has only worsened since the April 2018 crisis, when the largest demonstrations in Nicaragua's recent history led to significant political violence perpetrated by police and paramilitaries, leading to hundreds of deaths . Ortegas wife, Rosario Murillo, ran as his vice presidential candidate. The United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union (EU) have all condemned the election as illegitimate, along with Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Independent General Confederation of Labor, President of the Council of State of Nicaragua, "Nicaragua: Ortega allowed to run for third successive term", "Nicaragua Special Report: Daniel Ortega's Media War", "Nicaragua Suffers Worst Slump in 30 Years Amid Ortega Crackdown", Federal Republic of Central America (18231838), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Politics_of_Nicaragua&oldid=1158403798, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union, This page was last edited on 3 June 2023, at 21:40. Farnsworth: Since Nicaragua is no longer democratic, the only grade available is N/A. No- interest in Central America was the where is such change more vivid than in Popular Insurrection, which broke outNicaragua, where a complex new pat- in Nicaragua in late 1978 and finally led,tern of church-state relations has evolved in July 1979, to the overthrow of General since the Triumph. The legal minimum wage is inadequate to cover the cost of basic goods. [10] Such measures will likely weaken the Nicaraguan economy further since businesses, who are looking for foreign direct investment (FDI), will almost certainly be deterred from investing in the country due to its hostile business environment. Score Change: The score declined from 3 to 2 due to increasing state harassment of clergy and parishioners. (Photo by Inti OCON / AFP) (Photo by INTI OCON/AFP via Getty Images). World Report 2020: Nicaragua | Human Rights Watch Freedom of speech is a right guaranteed by the Nicaraguan constitution, but media has come under censorship from time to time. It is very likely that sanctions will exacerbate the current economic crisis and lead the Ortega administration to cut diplomatic relations with the US. On Feb. 15, the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega . In April 2019, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that 62,000 Nicaraguans fled the country in 2018 and 2019, with 55,000 seeking asylum in Costa Rica alone. The New York Times explains, He detained the credible challengers who planned to run against him, shut down opposition parties, banned large campaign events and closed voting stations en masse. Ortegas police arrested seven opposition candidates prior to the election. President Joe Biden called Daniel Ortegas electoral victory "a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic." Blog, The United States Institute of Peace Legal and Privacy Information | FOIA Inquiries, Organization of American States (OAS) resolution. To find out more about our products and services visit us at. The Ortega administration is likely to reach out for possible allies, such as China or Russia, to strengthen trade relations between the States. The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) - 2023 - This website and all of its contents are copyrighted by The Counterterrorism Group, Inc. 2023. The manipulation of the 2016 election and the expulsion of 16 opposition politicians from the legislature prevented elected representatives from determining government policies. Its power consolidation will likely continue throughout the current fourth term. The move has sparked renewed condemnation of the government of Daniel Ortega, pictured here in September last year. [3] Over the past few decades, Nicaragua has seen an increase in political opposition candidates, journalists, and human rights defenders being jailed for speaking out against the Ortega administrations policies. Members of the unicameral National Assembly are elected to concurrent five-year terms. Brian Nichols, the US state departments assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs, condemned the move, tweeting: This deplorable act represents a step further away from the democracy the people of Nicaragua deserve.. Global freedom statuses are calculated on a weighted scale. In 1995, the executive and legislative branches negotiated a reform of the 1987 Sandinista constitution which gave extensive new powers and independence to the National Assembly, including permitting the Assembly to override a presidential veto with a simple majority vote and eliminating the president's ability to pocket veto a bill. Individuals and communities in the construction zone for a planned interoceanic canal report have reported intimidation by surveyors and anonymous actors, though the project appeared to have stalled. [12] This decision is almost certainly a power move to combat OAS criticisms of the recent election results. How will the international community respond moving forward? The Development of Capitalism in Nicaragua: A Political - JSTOR Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. And I love you homeland of my dreams and my sorrows and I will secretly take you to wash off your stains, to whisper you hope and promise you cures and charms that will save you, she wrote. Steps for Restoring Nicaragua's Democracy and Resolving Its Political Political parties face legal and practical obstacles to formation and operations. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. Mona Hein; Emmanuel Davalillo Hidalgo; Binalakshmi Nepram. With the reform of the constitution in 2014 the ban on re-election of the president has been removed. LGBTQ Politics inNicaragua explores the untold stories of the L. There is no doubt they are testing the limits of U.S. influence and will be watching what the Biden administration does in neighboring Nicaragua. There were reports ahead of the polls that the FSLN had ignored local primary surveys in order to put its preferred candidates up for election. Is there protection from the illegitimate use of physical force and freedom from war and insurgencies? Ortegas victory was pre-ordained, but also precarious. The country is on the verge of becoming the western hemispheres equivalent of North Korea, said Juan Pappier. Nicaraguas North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCN) and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCS) have regional councils, for which elections were held in March 2019; the FSLN won the largest share of the vote in each. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. However, arbitrary detentions have continued, prompting a condemnation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in November of the governments persistent repression of dissent and the ongoing pattern of arbitrary arrests.. The National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) consists of 90 deputies elected from party lists drawn at the department and national level, plus the outgoing president and the runner-up in the presidential race, for a total of 92. The tripartite alliance between government, private business, and organized labor, which is recognized in Article 98 of the constitution, has become less functional since the private sector began to distance itself from the government upon the violent events of 2018. Parish Flannery: What's the path forward for Nicaragua? In order to discuss the recent election and the political outlook in Nicaragua, I reached out to Eric Farnsworth, the Vice President at theCouncil of the Americas, a think-tankin Washington D.C. Nathaniel Parish Flannery: What's the most important thing foreign observers need to understand about Nicaragua's November 7 presidential election? "This is huge," Georgiana . Prior to the 2018 crisis, academic freedoms were generally respected, although some academics refrained from open criticism of the government. Since protests erupted in April 2018, UN investigators and other human rights organizations have documented rampant violations of due process. Political stability in Nicaragua - CentralAmericaData :: The Regional Although the law acknowledges that crimes covered by international treaties, such as crimes against humanity, would be excluded from the amnesty, critics feared that the law would be used to shield the state and its agents from responsibility for past abuses. Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. (Geologists and physical geographers sometimes extend the northern boundary to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.) Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega won the elections on Monday, November 8, 2021 with more than 75% of votes, after imprisoning most of his political rivals throughout 2021. All public and private sector workers, except the military and the police, are entitled to form and join unions of their own choosing, and they exercise this right extensively. The government also permits domestic and international human rights monitors to operate freely in Nicaragua. Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections? This is a particular challenge for a country with which the United States already has significant history. Between mid-March and mid-June, the government released nearly 400 people imprisoned for activities related to the 2018 protests; 286 of those were released under house arrest while charges against them remained active. Myanmar landmine exacts growing toll on citizens as military rings Chinese assets - Asian News International, China views Myanmar as hot spot in Cold War with Washington - Washington Times, What the Wagner Groups failed rebellion means for Ukraine - MSNBCs American Voices With Alicia Menendez, Africa News Tonight: UN Security Council End Mali Mission, Sierra Leone's Election Observers Raise Concerns & More - VOA Africa. Parish Flannery: Overall, what grade would you give Nicaragua right now for the quality of its democracy? Is there freedom for nongovernmental organizations, particularly those that are engaged in human rights and governance-related work? Meanwhile, despite ample warning and time to react, neither the United States nor Nicaraguas neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean took meaningful steps to slow or reverse the democratic slide. The government announced in February 2019 that it would release political prisoners detained during the 2018 protests. Under constitutional reforms in 2014, Ortega has a wide degree of discretionary powers to set policy. Arguably our most critical protectors against this self-harm are Indigenous people who, only about 6 percent of us, protect 80 percent of Earths biodiversity. The dialogue ended in August when the government formally canceled it. In recent months, Nicaraguas government has escalated its effort to silence dissent by waging a systematic campaign of repression against the Catholic Church. The US government and the neighboring countries should continue monitoring the humanitarian and migratory consequences of the economic crisis in Nicaragua, as migration will likely continue to increase. Through its Worldwide Analysis of Terrorism, Crime, and Hazards (W.A.T.C.H.) Employees have reportedly been dismissed for union activities, and citizens have no effective recourse when those in power violate labor laws. In September, police violently dispersed another gathering commemorating the death of a teenager who was killed at a protest the previous year. The new sanctions will almost certainly negatively affect Nicaraguan citizens the most, who are already enduring the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador dismissed the Nicaraguan vote as a farce. Guatemala expressed concern but joined Honduras, Argentina and Mexico in abstaining from an Organization of American States (OAS) resolution in October demanding that Nicaragua release political prisoners and ensure free elections. Since 2018, an estimated 108,000 migrants have left Nicaragua looking for asylum, with most fleeing to neighboring Costa Rica. Collective bargaining is becoming more common in the private sector.[8]. In June, the government passed an amnesty law for crimes committed in the context of the 2018 antigovernment protests. The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) is a subdivision of the global consulting firm Paladin 7. The Sandinista government ensured its victory by shutting down dissent and arresting dozens of regime opponents. The judiciary remains dominated by FSLN and PLC appointees, and the Supreme Court is a largely politicized body controlled by Sandinista judges. [11] On November 19, 2021, President Ortega announced plans to withdraw Nicaragua from the regional organization. The US is planning to implement new sanctions with international partners against the Nicaraguan government as they consider the latest election was unfair. Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government? Executive power is exercised by the government.

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