Daniel Ortega

The revolution Sandinista (1979 - 1990)

Ortega was leading Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional , revolutionary Guérilla of inspiration Socialiste which, with the assistance of a popular rising which made 40.000 dead, demolished the dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle and the last of the dynasty of the Somoza, in July 1979. Ortega became one of the five men of the junta, with the writer Sergio Ramírez Mercado, the business man Alfonso Robelo Callejas, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and Moisses Hassan.

Very early, the Junta demolished itself, abandoned by her representatives of liberal movements which did not accept the increasing seizure of the Sandinistas, not very respectful of preliminary arrangements, on essential bodies of the capacity. Under the control of Daniel Ortega, were confirmed fears of the liberals to see to be established authoritarian regime of a socialist type, with the FSLN in the role of political party practitioner the “participative democracy” framed by the Defense committees

The government of Daniel Ortega was said inspired by Salvador Allende, but its efforts of economic and social rebuilding were undermined by the Embargo imposed by the the United States and the war of the Contras, movement of opposition armed and pulled by the CIA because the president Ronald Reagan had the fear of a communist country combined with the Soviet Union in Central America (See the business of the Irangate).

November 4th 1984 was held the first presidential election since the rising armed with 1979, and its party left victorious (67 %), but the the United States rejected the election under reason for fraud, in spite of the massive presence of international observers.

The 25 February 1990, of new elections transfer the defeat of FSLN of Daniel Ortega to the profit of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, of party UNO ( Unión Nacional Opositora ), alliance of parties opposed to the government Sandinista. So some transfer behind this result the support of Washington with Mrs. Chamorro, much estimated that it reflected the doubt which had infiltrated at the Nicaraguans on the capacity of the Sandinistas to manage an opening to which the “force of the things” more than their own inclinations had brought them. Thus, some time before the transfer of power, the Ortega government recorded the passage to the property of frameworks of the party, of a fortune in deprived land goods, confiscated at the first days of the revolution. Daniel Ortega itself acquired 7 land and buildings near the Bank of Housing the day before transmission of capacities in Violeta Chamorro. This initiative Sandinista east knew under the name of Piñata.

After 1990

Daniel Ortega recognized his defeat, which crédibilisa largely declared will of transparency of the mode Sandinista, but he declared nevertheless that the FSLN would continue to control " of in bas".

The October 20th 1996, Ortega was again beaten with presidential, the winner being Arnoldo Alemán liberal party Al ( Alianza Liberal ), following an election sullied with electoral fraud. However, Ortega concludes with this one a pact from division from the capacities, which allowed the two parties, liberal and Sandinista, however historically and politically opposite, to control the large majority of the institutions. This pact was disapproved per many intellectuals of left who transfer a treason with the ideals Sandinistas there.

The November 4th 2001, the liberal Enrique Bolaños Geyer, supported by the the United States, carried it largely with 56,3% of the votes, far in front of Daniel Ortega who in collected 42,3% on bottom of Attentats of September 11th, 2001, international pressure and libelous electoral campaign. Daniel Ortega, who had been presented in the form of a candidate of the Convergencia Nacional (an alliance gathering the FSLN and various left parties and center-left), was called by his detractors " friend of terroristes" , for the relations which it maintained in the years 1980 with Arab leaders such as Mouammar Kadhafi and Yasser Arafat. It lost for the third consecutive time.

In 2004, Ortega formally renewed the pact with the former president Arnoldo Alemán, in spite of the fact that this one was condemned to 20 years of detention and was assigned with residence for corruption and money laundering, inter alia. These two charismatic leaders count on a strong support of the masses popular, Sandinistas for one, liberal for the other. They are then opposed to the president Enrique Bolaños Geyer, whose party, the PLC ( Partido Liberal Constitucionalista ), remained faithful to Alemán.

This pact was disapproved per many Sandinistas, in particular of the intellectuals, who see it like a treason with the ideals of the party in favor of a search of being able. Several of these intellectuals, whose Ernesto Cardenal, fire Herty Lewites or the popular singer Carlos Mejía Godoy, joined a dissenting party, the Mouvement of restoration Sandinista (MRS), founded in 1995 by Sergio Ramírez.

Ortega wanted to give to a new image of its party, removed from the revolutionary past Marxist-Leninist. Paradoxically, that carried out it to be combined with interests traditionally considered as line, like the Catholic church and of the ex- Contras (its candidate with the vice-presidency in is one). Recently, the camp Sandinista supported a bill abolishing the Avortement in all its forms (including the therapeutic Avortement, authorized since 1893), law which was adopted by the Parliament.

Elections of 2006

The presidential election of November 5th, 2006, opposed Daniel Ortega (FSLN) to Eduardo Montealegre (ALN, right-hand side), Jose Rizo Castellón (PLC, right-hand side), Edmundo Jarquín Calderón (MRS, left) and Edén Pastora (AC, left). Its principal rival, Eduardo Montealegre, profited from the support of the outgoing government and Washington.

Favorite in the surveys, Daniel Ortega gains 37,99 % of the votes (that is to say 930.862 votes), which ensures the victory with the first turn to him, with a comfortable advance of almost 9 points on Eduardo Montealegre which carries only 28,30 % of the votes. Jose Rizo profits from 26,21 % of votes, Edmundo Jarquín of 6,44 % and Pastora Eden of 0,27 %.

It is with less than the minimum of 40% of the votes required by the constitutional text modified following the “pact” Ortega-Aleman of 2000 and had only with the fact of the upper deviation than 5 points which separates it from its principal challenger. This result constitutes the worst score which it carried out on 5 presidential elections.

See too

List of the current leaders

Bonds external

'' Nicaragua: Ortega, capacity at all costs and then afterwards? '', General (CR) Jean-Paul Huste, researcher associated with [[European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center|ESISC]]
on Daniel Ortega

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