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Date: Sun Nov 05 2006 - 16:03:42 EST
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US intervention in Nicaragua election: threats, intimidation and bribes
Author
* Joan Russow
Date Created
* 29 Oct 2006
* _More details... _
(http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/136435/index.php#)
Date Edited
* 29 Oct 2006 02:11:32 PM
Rating
* Current rating: 3
License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain) This work is in the
public domain
Urgent need for global community to address the impact of the continual and
constant US intervention in the democratic elections in Nicaragua”. There
have been years of US military and economic intervention in Nicaragua along with
US government intimidation, blatant threats, and with the US funded
so-called “humanitarian” organizations’ intrusion into various stages the electoral
process.
US intervention in Nicaragua election: threats, intimidation and bribes
Joan Russow
The impact of the continual and constant US intervention in the democratic
elections in Nicaragua” must not be minimized. The years of US military and
economic intervention in Nicaragua along with US government intimidation,
blatant threats, and with the US funded “humanitarian” organizations’ intrusion
into various stages the electoral process has to be addressed by the global
community.
In the current lead up to the election, Bush bribed Nicaragua with a grant
for “social programs” co-incidently on the same day that the Nicaraguan
government was pressured into ratifying CAFTA. Subsequently on June 29 the US
Controlled World Bank announced “Nicaragua to Receive Debt Relief Totaling
...US$37 Billion in Debt Cancellation”. In Aug 24, 2006, US- controlled World Bank
approved US$17 Million Nicaragua loan from the “World Bank for Competitiveness
” fund. In the Press release this loan was connected to CAFTA: “With
DR-CAFTA in place, it is essential to support the institutions that will help the
private sector grow, modernize and become more productive as a way to increase
investment and exports,” (Jane Armitage, World Bank Director for Central
America).
On October 3, in Managua, Rumsfeld presided over the Defense Ministers of
the Americas conference. At this conference Rumsfeld made veiled threats which,
because of past US military attacks on Nicaragua, were intended to impact on
the upcoming election. While raising concerns about Venezuela and the
supposed build up of arms, he began to enter into bilateral agreements with the
various Latin American countries that provide arms on condition that US military
will be exempt from prosecution under the International Criminal Court.
The infamous School of the Americas has be renamed Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation and linked with International Military Education
& Training (IMET) for allied and friendly nations”. This program exposes
students “to the U.S. professional military establishment and the American way
of life” and provides human rights face-lift Including courses demonstrating
the “U.S. regard for democratic values, respect for individual and human
rights and belief in the rule of law”.
The Presidential race is based on the “First Past the Post System” which is
plagued with the spectre of “vote splitting”. To counter the right wing
vote- splitting. On Monday, April 17, Paul Trivelli, the US Ambassador in
Nicaragua met with right wing parties in the country to discuss and opposition
strategy against Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega in the November 5 presidential
elections. He urged the right wing to rally around Eduardo Montealegre, the
Presidential candidate from the Alianza Liberal. Years early, the US had
encouraged the vote splitting in the Frente Sandinista Liberation National. Herty
Lewittes, recently deceased, led the break away group (MRS) Movimiento de
Renovación Sandinista. The US contributed a few million dollars to create the
bizarre Tarzan style park called “Hertlandia”.
Even the Organization of American states has criticized the US direct
intervention by Ambassador Paulo Trivelli U.S. congressman Daniel Burton, Deputy
Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, and US Commerce Secretary, Carlos
Gutierria. Ambassador Trivelli signaled that “Washington would review its aid for
Nicaragua if Mr. Ortega wins the election”. Congressman Daniel Burton, and Robert
Zoellick, former Secretary of state threatened to pull the 175 million
dollar loan from Millennium Challenge Corporation which is headed by Condolezza
Rice .Carlos Gutierria declared that “an Ortega victory would scare off foreign
investors. Daniel Burton also warned the Nicaraguans of dire consequences “
it´s important that the people know what can happen if the government returns
to the kind of government there was in the 1980s.” Burton similarly “
threatened Nicaraguans with the loss of remittances, thus taking advantage of
Nicaraguans’ economic desperation to bribe them into voting against Ortega”.
(Common Dreams)
US rights wing “Think tanks” have hosted a reception for Montealegre whose
speech was web cast . Other US private citizens and corporations, are using a
loop hole in the Nicaraguan constitution to send funds to Montealegre. In
Virginia an organization called Applied Government Strategies organized a
Montealegre fund-raising event purporting to be “In defense of Freedom and
Democracy in Nicaragua”.This fund raising campaign has been endorsed by Jeane
Kirkpatrick Former Ambassador to the United Nations, who emplores US citizens “
Your help is needed to stop Daniel Ortega and Hugo Chavez from winning in
Central America. Patrick Anderson, President of Applied Government Strategies, the
event organizer stated a fundraiser was also held in Miami. When asked if
foreign corporate donations were possible under the Nicaraguan Constitution, he
claimed that they were and that he had received a legal opinion that
corporate donations were possible if used for educational purposes but then assured
me that leaflets etc would qualify (personal communication).
For years, so-called US “humanitarian groups” with altruistic and
euphemistic names, while claiming to be “independent” of US Government policy, have
impacted on all aspects of Nicaraguan society in attempting to promote US
government policy. Influence has come from the National Foundation for Democracy
first formed under Reagan, through the International Republican Institute for
International Affairs, the Fund for American Studies, the Center for
Democracy, the Center for international Private Enterprise, the global development
alliance, the American Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce, the Academy for
Educational Development, Freedom House etc to the PRODEMCA (Friends of the
Democratic Center in Central America) and the Committee for the Free World (CFW).
The US is doing all it can through all these various channels to prevent the
election of Daniel Ortega but currently Through these various channels the
US is misrepresenting the strength of the right wing parties by claiming that
Ortega is ahead in the polls because the right wing is split. It would be
more accurate to state that Ortega would easily win if Joaquim and Pastora who
have split from the FSLN would forget their differences and support Ortega.
Nicaragua has for too long been controlled by US interests. If they united
around Daniel Ortega he would definitely win.
Joan Russow PhD
From January –April, 2006 Joan Russow along with her late husband David
White, volunteered at the Museum honouring the Nicaraguan revolution, and video
interviewed Nicaraguans on the revolution and the upcoming election for a
forthcoming film.US intervention in Nicaragua election: threats, intimidation and
bribes
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