MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ortega inaugurates consecutive mandate; opposition fear he could follow Chavez example

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega takes office for a third time on Tuesday with an ample majority in Congress and in the presence of close allies such as Iran’s Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.

The leader of the Sandinista Liberation Front, FSLN, will be inaugurated for a second running mandate before the Supreme Electoral Council on Monday and on Tuesday before Congress where he holds 63 out of 92 benches. He was first inaugurated in 1985/1990.
 

Presidents that have confirmed attendance include those from Iran and Venezuela, plus Ricardo Martinelli from Panama, Alvaro Colom, Guatemala; Muaricio Funes, El Salvador; Porfirio Lobo, Honduras and the heir to the Spanish Crown, Prince Felipe de Borbón. Ahmadinejad is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.
 

Other countries expected to send high level delegations include Bolivia, Ecuador, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St Vincent and Grenadines.
 

The US is not sending any delegation or representative since it has questioned the election results and has requested the OAS (Organization of American States) to name a commission to look into the event. Furthermore Washington has no ambassador in Managua and Phyllis Powers currently in Panama will be moving to Nicaragua but must previously be approved by the US Senate.
 

“We’re opening new pages to keep writing this history brilliant of lights, of truth, inspired in cultural, religious and faith values” said Rosario Murillo, First Lady and government spokesperson. The inauguration is “a great day in our lives” for all Nicaraguans.
 

An arc of triumph in the Revolution Plaza upgraded for the occasion will be the heart of the celebrations in the midst of extremely tight security measures.
Ortega, 66, is the first president to be re-elected since the Sandinist Revolution defeated and ousted in 1979 the 40-year dictatorship of the Somoza family, originally supported by Washington. In that year the Sandinistas with air support from Venezuela, funds from the Jimmy Carter administration and weapons and on the field commanders from Cuba finally freed Nicaragua.
 

But the ample powers Ortega enjoys following his victory in the 6 November elections which have been questioned by the opposition, Washington, human rights groups and other organizations, have become a serious motive of concern for those who don’t support him and fear Ortega, following on his political mentor Chavez example, might want to stay in office indefinitely.
 

However Ortega has the great challenge of reducing poverty, in spite of the fact that in the last five years Nicaragua managed economic stability, record exports and foreign investment and growth rates averaging 4%. Together with Haiti, Honduras and Bolivia, Nicaragua is among the poorest countries in Latam.
 

To help 45% of the 5.8 million population climb out of poverty Ortega counts with an estimated foreign help of 500 million dollars provided by Chavez, and all the political strings included.