Protests In Nicaragua
Escalate
MANAGUA - Pro-government protesters in
Nicaragua have blockaded the country's
parliament in an effort to prevent
opposition politicians from overturning a
controversial presidential decree.
The supporters of Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua's
leftist president, took to the streets for a
second day on Wednesday following violent
protests during which cars were burned and
three opposition politicians were lightly
injured.
As well as surrounding parliament,
protesters also laid siege to the
headquarters of the main opposition parties
and the homes of several politicians.
Reports from Managua, the Nicaraguan
capital, said that as the day progressed,
"more and more protesters surrounded
opposition headquarters. The situation
gradually became violent and the atmosphere
remains tense".
The clashes are the latest stage in a
growing confrontation between Ortega and the
opposition majority sparked by a ruling by
the country's supreme court last November
clearing the way for him to seek re-election
in 2011.
The opposition is now seeking to overturn
Ortega's decree extending the terms of 25
top magistrates and civil servants, which
they say is intended to help him secure his
re-election.
They argue the decree violates the
Nicaraguan constitution, and say that they
have gathered the necessary 47 votes to
overturn it.
Opposition plans to return to parliament has
raised fears of more violence [Reuters]
"What they are showing is their fear of the
majority being in power," Eduardo
Montealegre, an opposition politician, said
of the protestors.
"They are scared that we say 'no' to
[Ortega's] re-election."
Montealegre said that the opposition's aim
is "to stop Ortega from installing a
dictatorial regime in Nicaragua".
"We want to work, we want to approve laws
that benefit the population, but Ortega is
not thinking about the people," he said.
Opposition leaders have insisted they will
return to parliament on Thursday, despite
the blockade, setting the stage for a
possible showdown and raising fears of
further violence.
Growing tensions in Nicaragua are part of an
ongoing confrontation between the ruling
Sandanista party, headed by Ortega, and both
the conservative and left-wing opposition,
who see him as an authoritarian leader who
effectively controls Nicaragua's
institutions.
In Washington, Jose Miguel Insulza, the head
of the Organization of American States,
expressed his "deep concern" over the crisis
and called for calm.
He stressed the need to "resolve political
differences, particularly those between
state representatives, through dialogue".
Ortega led the 1979 Sandinista uprising that
ousted the US-backed government of Anastasio
Somoza and served as president from
1985-1990.
He was re-elected in 2006.
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