Nicaragua: The European Parliament ignored the re-election of Daniel Ortega and called for more sanctions

On Thursday, the European Parliament approved by a large majority a A decision ignores the re-election of Sandinista dictator Daniel Ortega In what he called “electoral farce” on November 7 in Nicaragua and asked New sanctions by the European Union against his government, which it accuses of committing acts of corruption.

In the resolution, the Parliament of the community said that These elections “violate all international democratic standards for credible, inclusive, fair and transparent elections.” It also “rejects the legitimacy of the results of these false elections, and thus the democratic legitimacy of any institutional authority arising from these fraudulent elections.”

The resolution, which was widely discussed last Tuesday, was approved 619 votes in favour, 25 against and 41 abstentions, in a session attended by 685 of the 705 members of the European Parliament.

Ortega was re-elected with more than 75% of the vote In elections without recognized domestic or international observers and after the imprisonment of seven of his main political rivals, he remains imprisoned alongside more than 170 opponents, according to opposition figures.

little decision The European Union imposed sanctions on about 14 officials and associates of the Sandinista presidentIncluding First Lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo, the bloc requested “that Daniel Ortega be added to the list of sanctioned persons as soon as possible.”

a Thirty members of the government of Nicaragua have also been sanctioned by the United States, Great Britain and Canada, including several of the presidential couple’s children. This measure was implemented as a result of the 2018 social protests that were severely suppressed by the police and paramilitary forces.

International organizations have accused The Sandinista government is violating human rights and committing crimes against humanity against civilian opponents. Ortega and his officials deny this and claim that the government was the victim of a “failed coup” backed by the United States.

“Daniel Ortega has become The caricature of the Caribbean dictator became a mirror of the dictator he fought againstThis was expressed by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, during the discussions that took place on Tuesday. I add that “He and his deputy, Rosario Murillo, illegally seized power in Nicaragua to further their personal interests.”

On the other hand, the Spanish representative Jose Ramon Poza He demanded “a freeze of payments reaching the Nicaraguan system.” Ortega is a criminal and therefore he must be treated, and we must strike him where it hurts the most: in his pocket and in the pocket of all his men who are here also in Europe.

After the Ortega government was accused of acts of “corruption”, a decision was passed by the European Parliament He urged the European Union to “supervise” the funds allocated by the bloc’s countries to Nicaragua. While asking the European Union to “maintain its humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable” in the Central American country, it simultaneously calls for “Member states oversee the European funds earmarked, also through multilateral financial institutions, to ensure that they do not contribute to further corruption of the system.”

As asked by the deputies Activation of the democratic clause of the Association Agreement (AA) between the European Union and Central America, which would allow Nicaragua to be excluded from the trade agreement in force for the past decade. “In accordance with the Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America, Nicaragua must respect and promote the principles of the rule of law, democracy and human rights,” they said.

Nicaragua has been experiencing a serious political crisis since April 2018, When the social revolution broke out against the government. According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), violent police action has left 355 dead, more than 2,000 wounded, 1,600 arrested at various times, and 103,000 exiles and refugeesMostly in Costa Rica. The government only recognizes 200 deaths.

(with AP info)

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