Here we go again: the Nicaraguan government - and even the opposition parties - enters quicksand. This according to Centro de Investigaciones de la Comunicación (CINCO) in Managua, that investigates and forecasts the climate for democracy, government, the media, and political culture in Nicaragua. Reflecting on the past 2½ years of FSLN government under Ortega, since the november 2006 elections. In the latest issue of the analytical political publication of Perspectivas/Boletín (Edición 32), CINCO asked the population of Nicaragua seven questions:
- Has Nicaragua become more democratic?
- Do the institutions function better?
- Does the population have more confidence in them?
- Have relations between government and society become more transparent and better?
- Does the country (Nicaragua) enjoy more international legitimacy?
- Has the social and economic situation improved?
- Has the population more positive expectations?
CINCO notes that the responses varies from political colour of the respondents, but overall the population feels set back. According to CINCO, one of the major political problems is that FSLN/Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional and PLC/Partido Liberal Constitucionalista since the onset of the so-called pact (El Pacto, formed in 2000) controls everything from government institutions, like the legislative institutions, supreme court, and the supreme electoral council. And that FSLN and PLC controls the network of cadres of the local municipalities (los caudillos, so nicknamed after Spanish general Franco - El Caudillo).
So the government sits in quicksand, because the economic situation is continuously worsened. Partly due to sanctions from the international community, partly due to promises of financial assistance from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez - that just haven't materialized. Meanwhile holding the public institutions and the population hostages.
So the opposition also sits in quicksand - due to lack of political or institutional influence. What CINCO suggests is for the opposition to unite more strongly, with the intellectuals of the left wing parties of MRS/Movimiento Renovador Sandinista and MPRS/El Movimiento por el Rescate del Sandinismo (or simply El Rescate). CINCO criticizes the opposition for not presenting a coherent political plan or strategy - encouraging them to sharpen their profile and focus on the civil rights of the population. And to form a coalition much like UNO/Unión Nacional Opositoro did in the historical 1990 elections, backed by the USA, when Violetta Chamorro managed to overthrow Daniel Ortega and FSLN with 55 percent of the votes to Ortega's 41 percent.
With less than one in ten votes there seems to be a bit of way to overthrow Daniel Ortega and FSLN, unless they manage to bridge all the way to one of the liberal parties - PLC that also calls itself opposition, despite El Pacto - this is the real paradox in Nicaragua. ALN/Alianza Liberal Nicaragüense already formed an alliance with PLC/Partido Liberal Constitucionalista during the 2008 municipal elections - so what the opposition parties do have in common is a critique of the frauds during these elections. And what CINCO suggests is to mobilize and to ride the waves of a wider protest of the government in the population. Ay-Ay-Ay, the quicksand keeps spreading.
For further information, please see:
http://www.cinco.org.ni/publicaciones/
So the government sits in quicksand, because the economic situation is continuously worsened. Partly due to sanctions from the international community, partly due to promises of financial assistance from Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez - that just haven't materialized. Meanwhile holding the public institutions and the population hostages.
So the opposition also sits in quicksand - due to lack of political or institutional influence. What CINCO suggests is for the opposition to unite more strongly, with the intellectuals of the left wing parties of MRS/Movimiento Renovador Sandinista and MPRS/El Movimiento por el Rescate del Sandinismo (or simply El Rescate). CINCO criticizes the opposition for not presenting a coherent political plan or strategy - encouraging them to sharpen their profile and focus on the civil rights of the population. And to form a coalition much like UNO/Unión Nacional Opositoro did in the historical 1990 elections, backed by the USA, when Violetta Chamorro managed to overthrow Daniel Ortega and FSLN with 55 percent of the votes to Ortega's 41 percent.
With less than one in ten votes there seems to be a bit of way to overthrow Daniel Ortega and FSLN, unless they manage to bridge all the way to one of the liberal parties - PLC that also calls itself opposition, despite El Pacto - this is the real paradox in Nicaragua. ALN/Alianza Liberal Nicaragüense already formed an alliance with PLC/Partido Liberal Constitucionalista during the 2008 municipal elections - so what the opposition parties do have in common is a critique of the frauds during these elections. And what CINCO suggests is to mobilize and to ride the waves of a wider protest of the government in the population. Ay-Ay-Ay, the quicksand keeps spreading.
For further information, please see:
http://www.cinco.org.ni/publicaciones/