Political Conflicts Continue as OAS Returns

Political tensions could diminish this week, as OAS representative and former Argentine Foreign Minister Dante Caputo appeared to some observers to be achieving a modicum of success in his negotiations with the parties in conflict in Nicaragua's tormented political scene. He began discussions on Friday, July 1. Meanwhile, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo reported that he had sent a message to President Enrique Bolaños containing proposals he had received from the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) and the Sandinista Front (FSLN). Obando said that PLC and FSLN leaders had said they were open to making their positions more flexible in exchange for Bolaños' agreement to renew the suspended national dialogue.

Liberals and Sandinistas want the president to recognize recently passed constitutional amendments which limit the powers of the presidency. On June 24 Bolaños issued two executive orders which 1) put into force the decision of the Central American Court of Justice that declared the amendments inapplicable and 2) commanded Nicaragua's Chief of Police not to obey the country's Supreme Court without his approval. The Nicaraguan Supreme Court, dominated by Liberals and Sandinistas, had ruled in favor of the amendments and had ordered regulatory agencies to turn over control to administrators named by the National Assembly in accord with the recent reforms.

The Movement for Nicaragua introduced 160 appeals to the Supreme Count against the amendments on grounds of unconstitutionality. The court was expected to rule on the appeals Monday, July 4th. There was some speculation that the court could declare some of the reform measures constitutional and others unconstitutional. Others have proposed solutions such as that brought forward by Vice-President Jose Rizo: President Bolaños would accept the amendments, while the legislative branch would agree that the amendments would not go into effect until January of 2007 (after a new president has taken office). The suggestion by Eden Pastora, who is both a former Sandinista and former contra, that the army take over the country "and put all these politicians in their places", was met with general rejection.

In the National Assembly, two special committees were formed to look into removing immunity from prosecution from the president and other officials, for alleged violations of campaign finance laws,. Bolaños was summoned to appear before the committee on July 8th. Wilfredo Navarro, vice-president of the PLC, said that the members of his bench were ready to vote to lift the president's immunity as well as that of the other executive branch officials. Others questioned whether that was entirely true, voicing the suspicion that those who might have campaign finance problems of their own would not vote to lift immunity. In fact, Ernesto Leal, Secretary of the Presidency, asked why deputies who have campaign finance cases pending were not made a part of the current investigations. Jose Figueroa, of the Sandinista bench, said that his party did not have an official position on the issue but defended the right of the Assembly to open inquiries. Deputy Jaime Morales Carazo, who supports the president, said that while Liberals and Sandinistas may vote to lift the president's immunity, they will not remove him from office because of the reaction that this would generate internationally. The votes of 61 of the 91 deputies would be required to lift Bolaños' immunity.

On June 30 in Tegucigalpa, the presidents of the Central American countries, meeting at a regional conference, gave their support to President Bolaños, saying in a statement that they "condemn the actions that seriously compromise the democratic order and the legitimate exercise of power in Nicaragua," and adding that Nicaragua should obey the ruling of the Central American Court of Justice. U.S. State Department official Dan Fisk, who attended the conference, stated: "The government of the United States strongly supports the constitutional president of Nicaragua Enrique Bolaños, and favors the resolution in favor of Nicaragua that was approved."

The constitutional amendments passed by the National Assembly are intended to clip the wings of Nicaragua's imperial presidency, which many Sandinistas acknowledge was given too much power in the 1987 Constitution, and to transfer that power to the National Assembly. Daniel Ortega's FSLN and Arnoldo Aleman's PLC have cooperated on the amendments as a way to ensure that both parties will maintain a significant quota of power no matter which party wins the 2006 presidential election. On the other hand, with Ortega and Aleman vying for the honor of being the least liked and trusted figure in Nicaragua, many politically active Nicaraguans do not trust any deal made between the two party "strong men."