QCOSTARICA – Former President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, called to avoid the consolidation of a dynastic or family-based dictatorship in Nicaragua and said that President Daniel Ortega must pay a high price for installing a regime like North Korea’s in the region.
She thus denounced it before the U.S. House Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, warning that we are six weeks away from that scenario, where Ortega is expected to easily be reelected to a fourth consecutive term, according to a video published by the site ameliarueda.com.
The former president pointed out that the situation facing Nicaragua is affecting the rest of Central America due to high migration, especially to Costa Rica and Panama, the interruption of trade that hinders economic reactivation and the threat to security.
In addition, she warned that not acting to prevent the perpetuity of the regime in Nicaragua could encourage the emergence of other autocratic governments in the region.
#EnDesarrollo La expresidenta @Laura_Ch expone sobre el régimen de Daniel Ortega ante el Comité de Asuntos Exteriores (@HouseForeign) de la Cámara de Representantes de EEUU.
“Nicaragua está al filo del precipicio sin retorno”, dijo la exmandataria. pic.twitter.com/Kn14TJLait
— Amelia Rueda (@ameliarueda) September 21, 2021
Faced with this situation, Chinchilla asked US congressmen to document human rights violations and expose the electoral strength of the regime.
In addition, she invokes Article 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to suspend Nicaragua from the exercise of its right to participate in the OAS and immediately stop the external supply of financial oxygen to the Ortega regime.
The former president also demands the elimination of the support provided to the Nicaraguan army through the United States Southern Command, investigate the businesses of the Ortega Murillo family for alleged money laundering and drug trafficking, punish Ortega’s son for these possible crimes and increase humanitarian aid for the Nicaraguans in exile.
Así como he llevado el mensaje a diversos gobiernos democráticos y organismos internacionales sobre la brutal opresión que el régimen #OrtegaMurillo ejerce en #Nicaragua, así también lo haré ante el @HouseForeign
Thanks to @RepGregoryMeeks for the invitation to testify. pic.twitter.com/4670iP3SkM
— Laura Chinchilla M. (@Laura_Ch) September 17, 2021
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra, 75, was nominated by his party, the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) to try for a fourth consecutive term.
Ortega was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as Coordinator of the Junta of National Reconstruction (1979–1985) and then as President of Nicaragua (1985–1990).
Born into a working-class family, from an early age Ortega opposed Nicaragua’s dictator Anastasio Somoza.
According to his opponents, Ortega would easily win after the arrest of most of his rivals over the past couple of months.
Ortega has governed Nicaragua since 2007 after two successive reelections, then modifying the laws that prevented him from perpetuating in the position.