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Daniel Ortega

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Daniel Ortega
President of Nicaragua
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 January 2007
Vice PresidentJaime Morales Carazo
Preceded byEnrique Bolaños
In office
10 January 1985 – 25 April 1990
Vice PresidentSergio Ramírez
Preceded byJunta of National Reconstruction
Succeeded byVioleta Chamorro
Junta of National Reconstruction
In office
18 July 1979 – 10 January 1985
Alongside:
Sergio Ramírez
Violeta Chamorro
Alfonso Robelo
Arturo Cruz
Moisés Hassan
Rafael Rivas
Preceded byFrancisco Urcuyo
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Personal details
Born (1945-11-11) 11 November 1945 (age 79)
La Libertad, Chontales, Nicaragua
Political partyFSLN
SpouseRosario Murillo

José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse ðaˈnjel orˈteɣa saˈβeðɾa]; born 11 November 1945) is the current (83rd) President of Nicaragua, having served since 10 January 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 10 January 1985 and 25 April 1990. For much of his life, he has been a leader in the Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional or FSLN).

After a popular rebellion resulted in the overthrow and exile of dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979, Ortega became a member of the ruling multipartisan junta and was later elected president, serving from 1985 to 1990. His first period in office was characterized by a controversial program of land reform and wealth redistribution, hostility from the United States' Reagan administration, and armed rebellion by US-backed Contras.

Ortega was defeated by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in the 1990 presidential election, but he remained an important figure in Nicaraguan opposition politics. He was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1996 and 2001 before winning the 2006 presidential election.[1]

Personal life

Early years

Ortega was born to a middle-class family in La Libertad, department of Chontales, Nicaragua. His parents, Daniel Ortega and Lidia Saavedra, were in opposition to the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. His mother was imprisoned by Somoza's National Guard for being in possession of "love letters" which the police stated were coded political missives. He has two brothers, Humberto Ortega, former General, military leader and published writer, and Camilo Ortega, who died during combat in 1978.

Ortega was arrested for political activities at the age of 15,[2] and quickly joined the then-underground Sandinista National Liberation Front.(FSLN)[3] He was imprisoned in 1967 for taking part in robbing a branch of the Bank of America while brandishing a machine gun, but was released in late 1974 along with other Sandinista prisoners in exchange for Somocista hostages. While he was imprisoned at the El Modelo jail, just outside of Managua, he wrote poems, one of which he titled "I Never Saw Managua When Miniskirts Were in Fashion".[4] During his imprisonment, Ortega was severely tortured.[5] After his release, Ortega was exiled to Cuba, where he received several months of guerrilla training. He later returned to Nicaragua secretly.[6]

Ortega married Rosario Murillo in 1978 in a secret ceremony (conducted by a Spanish priest turned guerrilla fighter)[2] and moved to Costa Rica with her three children from a previous marriage.[4] Ortega remarried Murillo in 2005 to have the marriage recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. The couple has eight children,[7] three of them together.[2] She is currently the government's spokeswoman and a government minister, among other positions.[8][9] Ortega adopted stepdaughter Zoilamérica Narváez in 1986, through a court case.[10]

Sexual abuse allegations

In 1998, Daniel Ortega's adopted stepdaughter Zoilamérica Narváez released a 48-page report[11] describing her allegations that Ortega had systematically sexually abused her from 1979, when she was 11, until 1990.[12] Ortega and his wife Murillo denied the allegations.[13] The case could not proceed in Nicaraguan courts because Ortega had immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament, and the five-year statute of limitations for sexual abuse and rape charges was judged to have been exceeded. Narváez took a complaint to the Inter American Human Rights Commission, which was ruled admissible on 15 October 2001.[14] On 4 March 2002 the Nicaraguan government accepted the Commission's recommendation of a friendly settlement.[10] As of 2006 Ortega continues to deny the allegations, but Narváez has not withdrawn them.[13]

In 2006, Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, expressed concern that the election of Ortega, described as having "highly substantiated" charges of sexual abuse raised against him, to the Presidency of Nicaragua, could undermine worldwide NGO efforts against child abuse and sexual violence.[15]

The Sandinista revolution (1979-1990)

For more details on Ortega's past presidency, see Sandinista National Liberation Front.
File:Daniel Ortega Time Magazine Cover March 31 1986.jpg
Daniel Ortega's rise to power in Nicaragua was published widely and considered an important conflict during the Cold War. Ortega, a socialist revolutionary along with the FSLN, was regarded as a threat to the hemisphere's security by Ronald Reagan.

When Somoza was overthrown by the FSLN in July 1979, Ortega became a member of the five-person Junta of National Reconstruction, which also included Sandinista militant Moisés Hassan, novelist Sergio Ramírez, businessman Alfonso Robelo, and Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, the widow of a martyred journalist. The FSLN came to dominate the junta, Robelo and Chamorro resigned, and Ortega became the de facto ruler of the country.

In 1981, United States President Ronald Reagan accused the FSLN of joining with Soviet-backed Cuba in supporting Marxist revolutionary movements in other Latin American countries such as El Salvador. People within the Reagan administration authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to begin financing, arming and training rebels, some of whom were former officers from Somoza's National Guard, as anti-Sandinista guerrillas. These were known collectively as the Contras. This also led to one of the largest political scandals in US history, (the Iran Contra Affair), when Oliver North and several members of the Reagan administration defied the Boland Amendment to sell arms to Iran, and then used the proceeds to fund the Contras. Between 1980 and 1989, over 30,000 Nicaraguans died in the conflict between the Sandinista government and the Contras.[16]

In November 1984, Ortega called national elections; he won the presidency with 67% of the vote and took office on 10 January 1985. According to many independent observers, the 1984 elections were perhaps the freest and fairest in Nicaraguan history. A report by an Irish governmentary delegation stated: "The electoral process was carried out with total integrity. The seven parties participating in the elections represented a broad spectrum of political ideologies." The general counsel of New York's Human Rights Commission described the election as "free, fair and hotly contested." A study by the US Latin American Studies Association (LASA) concluded that the FSLN (Sandinista Front) "did little more to take advantage of its incumbency than incumbent parties everywhere (including the U.S.) routinely do."[citation needed]

Thirty-three percent of the Nicaraguan voters cast ballots for one of six opposition parties – three to the right of the Sandinistas, three to the left – which had campaigned with the aid of government funds and free TV and radio time. Two conservative parties captured a combined 23 percent of the vote. They held rallies across the country (a few of which were disrupted by FSLN supporters) and blasted the Sandinistas in harsh terms. Most foreign and independent observers noted this pluralism in debunking the Reagan administration charge – ubiquitous in the US media – that it was a "Soviet-style sham" election.[17] Some opposition parties boycotted the election, allegedly under pressure from US embassy officials, and so it was denounced as being unfair by the Reagan administration.[18] Reagan thus maintained that he was justified to continue supporting what he referred to as the Contras' "democratic resistance".[19]

Interim years (1990 - 2006)

In the 1990 presidential election, Ortega lost to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, his former colleague in the junta. Chamorro was supported by the US and a 14-party anti-Sandinista alliance known as the National Opposition Union (Unión Nacional Opositora, UNO), an alliance that ranged from conservatives and liberals to communists. Contrary to what most observers expected [20], Chamorro shocked Ortega and won the election. In Ortega's concession speech the following day he vowed to keep "ruling from below" a reference to the power that the FSLN still wielded in various sectors. He was also quoted saying:

...We leave victorious... because we Sandinistas have spilled blood and sweat not to cling to government posts, but to bring Latin America a little dignity, a little social justice.

— Daniel Ortega[4]

Ortega ran for election again, in October 1996 and November 2001, but lost on both occasions to Arnoldo Alemán and Enrique Bolaños, respectively. In these elections, a key issue was the allegation of corruption. In Ortega's last days as president, through a series of legislative acts known as "The Piñata", estates that had been seized by the Sandinista government (some valued at millions and even billions of US dollars) became the private property of various FSLN officials, including Ortega himself. [citation needed]

Ortega's policies became more moderate during his time in opposition, and he gradually changed much of his former Marxist stance in favor of an agenda of democratic socialism. His Roman Catholic faith has become more public in recent years as well, leading Ortega to embrace a variety of socially conservative policies; in 2006 the FSLN endorsed a strict law banning all abortions in Nicaragua.

Ortega was instrumental in creating the controversial strategic pact between the FSLN and the Constitutional Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Constitucionalista, PLC). The controversial alliance of Nicaragua's two major parties is aimed at distributing power between the PLC and FSLN, and preventing other parties from rising. "El Pacto," as it is known in Nicaragua, is said to have personally benefited former presidents Ortega and Alemán greatly, while constraining then-president Bolaños. One of the key accords of the pact was to lower the percentage necessary to win a presidential election in the first round from 45% to 35%, a change in electoral law that would become decisive in Ortega's favor in the 2006 elections.

2006 Presidential Election

A presidential election was held on 5 November 2006. In the run up to the election, FSLN presidential candidate Ortega converted to Catholicism and publicly "reconciled" with Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo; he also selected former Contra leader Jaime Morales Carazo as his vice-presidential candidate.[21] Ortega won the election with 37.99% of the votes cast, fewer - both in absolute numbers and as percentage of all votes - than in his previous three attempts. The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN) won 28.30%, the Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC) won 27.11%, the Movement for Sandinista Renewal (MRS) 6.29% and the Alternative for Change (AC) 0.29%. The FSLN was the party out in force to celebrate a victory on the following night. International observers, including the Carter Center, judged the election to be free and fair. Ortega was congratulated by President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and President Fidel Castro of Cuba.[22] Chávez, who spoke by telephone, chanted "long live the Sandinista revolution!" The White House confirmed on 8 January 2007 that U.S. President George W. Bush also had called Ortega to congratulate him on his election victory.

Herty Lewites – who was also running for president before his death in July 2006 – suggested that Ortega's pact with Alemán had given Ortega de facto control of the bodies responsible for administering the election, and thus that Ortega would most likely have won. Under the old law, Ortega would have gone to a second round against Eduardo Montealegre (he would have needed 45% instead of 35%.)

Second presidency (2006 - present)

Presidential styles of
Daniel Ortega
Reference styleEl Honorable Daniel Ortega, Presidente de la República de Nicaragua The Honorable Daniel Ortega, President of the Republic of Nicaragua
Spoken stylePresidente Ortega President Ortega
Alternative styleSeñor Presidente Mister President

While supporting abortion rights during his presidency during the 1980s, Ortega has since embraced the Catholic Church's position of strong opposition.[23] While non-emergency abortions have long been illegal in Nicaragua, recently even abortions "in the case where the pregnancy endangers the mother's life" have been made illegal in the days before the election, with a six-year prison term in such cases, too — a move supported by Ortega.[24]

Ortega himself denies that the abortion legislation outlaws medical procedures necessary to save the woman's life if they result in the termination of pregnancy. "The medical Procedural Code, he says, is not affected by the law, and requires doctors to do what is necessary to save a woman's life if it is threatened by conditions related to her pregnancy."

He claims that the accusations that the abortion laws outlaw medical procedures necessary to save the life of the mother are part of "a media war".[25]

Soon after his inauguration, Ortega met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The two heads of state toured shanty towns in Managua. Ortega told the press that the "revolutions of Iran and Nicaragua are almost twin revolutions...since both revolutions are about justice, liberty, self-determination, and the struggle against imperialism."[26]

In June 2008 the Nicaraguan Supreme Electoral Council disqualified the MRS and the Conservative Party from participation.[21] In November, 2008, the Supreme Electoral Council received national and international criticism following irregularities in municipal elections, but agreed to review results for Managua only, while the opposition demanded a nationwide review.[27] For the first time since 1990, the Council decided not to allow national or international observers to witness the election.[28][29] Instances of intimidation, violence, and harassment of opposition political party members and NGO representatives have been recorded.[30] Official results show Sandinista candidates winning 94 of the 146 municipal mayorships, compared to 46 for the main opposition Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC).[31] The opposition claimed that marked ballots were dumped and destroyed, that party members were refused access to some of the vote counts and that tallies from many polling places were altered.[32] As a result of the fraud allegations, the European Union suspended $70m of aid, and the US $64m.[33]

With the late-2000s recession, Ortega said that capitalism is in its "death throes" and the Bolivarian Alternative for the People of Our America (ALBA) is the most advanced, Christian and fairest project. He also said God was punishing the United States with the financial crisis for trying to impose its economic principles on poor countries. "It's incredible that in the most powerful country in the world, which spends billions of dollars on brutal wars ... people do not have enough money to stay in their homes."[34][35]

During an interview with David Frost for the Al Jazeera English programme Frost Over The World in March 2009, Ortega suggested that he would like to change the constitution to allow him to run again for president.[36] In Judicial Decision 504, issued on October 19, 2009, the Supreme Court of Justice of Nicaragua declared portions of Articles 147 and 178 of the Constitution of Nicaragua inapplicable; these provisions concerned the eligibility of candidates for President, Vice-President, Mayor, and Vice-Mayor.[37]

Foreign policy

Ortega with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev whilst on a state visit to Russia on 18 December 2008.

On 6 March 2008, following the 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis, Ortega announced that Nicaragua was breaking diplomatic ties with Colombia "in solidarity with the Ecuadoran people".[38] Ortega also stated, "We are not breaking relations with the Colombian people. We are breaking relations with the terrorist policy practiced by Álvaro Uribe's government".[39] The relations were restored with the resolution at a Rio Group summit held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 7 March 2008. At the summit Colombia's Álvaro Uribe, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Ortega publicly shook hands in a show of good will. The handshakes, broadcast live throughout Latin America, appeared to be a signal that a week of military buildups and diplomatic repercussions was over. After the handshakes, Ortega said he would re-establish diplomatic ties with Colombia. Uribe then quipped that he would send him the bill for his ambassador's plane fare.[40][41]

On 25 May 2008, Ortega, upon learning of the death of FARC guerrilla leader Manuel Marulanda in Colombia, expressed condolences to the family of Marulanda and solidarity with the FARC and called Marulanda an extraordinary fighter who battled against profound inequalities in Colombia.[42][43] The declarations were protested by the Colombian government and criticized in the major Colombian media outlets.

On 2 September 2008, during ceremonies for the 29th anniversary of the founding of the Nicaraguan army, Ortega announced that "Nicaragua recognizes the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and fully supports the Russian government's position." Ortega's decision made Nicaragua the second country after Russia to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia.[44] A day after Venezuela recognised the two Republics, Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with Abkhazia, and plans to establish diplomatic relations with South Ossetia.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Ortega wins Nicaraguan election: Nicaragua's former leader, Daniel Ortega, has won the country's presidential election 8 November 2006
  2. ^ a b c "Five facts about Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-01-15. Cite error: The named reference "RT" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Daniel Ortega Saavedra, candidato presidencial del FSLN". La Prensa (in Spanish). 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2007-05-11. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Vulliamy, Ed. "Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega; In the Lions' Den Again". Retrieved 2008-01-15. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Cite error: The named reference "LO" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Bernard Diederich, Somoza and the Legacy of U.S. Involvement in Central America, p. 85.
  6. ^ "Hispanic Heritage in the Americas: Ortega, Daniel". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-05-11. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "Cardenal Obando caso a Daniel Ortega y poetisa Rosario Murillo". Cardinal Rating. 2005-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  8. ^ "Iran and Nicaragua in barter deal". BBC News. London. 5 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "Nicaragua-Venezuela Talk Cooperation". Prensa Latina. Retrieved 2008-01-15. ... Government minister and first lady, Rosario Murillo.
  10. ^ a b Envio, March 2002, No 248 Case 12,230: Zoilamérica Narváez vs. the Nicaraguan State Cite error: The named reference "envio1567" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ Template:Es Zoilamerica Narvaez 48-page testimony about sexual abuse; Zoilamerica Narvaez 48-page testimony about sexual abuse (in English)
  12. ^ Time, March 23, 1998, An Ugly Family Affair: Charges of sexual abuse leveled against Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega swirl atop a power struggle
  13. ^ a b The Guardian, 7 November 2006, From comandante to caudillo
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "Nicaraguan Vote Could Send Wrong Message on Child Abuse". Human Rights Tribune. 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ Thomas Walker, Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle, 4th Ed. (Westview Press, 2003)
  17. ^ 'The Sandinistas won't submit to free elections' Article from "Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting" ]. November 1987
  18. ^ Ronald Reagan. Remarks Following Discussions With President Jose Napoleon Duarte of El Salvador. 16 May 1985
  19. ^ "Aid to the Nicaraguan Democratic Resistance". U.S. Department of State Bulletin. October 1987. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ Alma Guillermoprieto, The Heart That Bleeds: Latin America Now, pp. 23-25
  21. ^ a b Robert Burbach, CounterPunch, 27 February 2009, Et Tu, Daniel? The Betrayal of the Sandinista Revolution
  22. ^ BBC Article Second chance for Nicaragua's Ortega
  23. ^ Nicaragua brings in abortion ban: Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños has signed into law a ban on all abortions, even in cases when a woman's life is judged to be at risk 18 November 2006
  24. ^ Abortion Outlawed in Nicaragua Ten Days Before Controversial Elections 27 October 2006
  25. ^ http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010804.html
  26. ^ Nicaragua e Iran, "Unión Invencible" Hauser, Karim BBC Mundo, June 2007
  27. ^ "Review follows election fraud allegations in Nicaragua". CNN. 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  28. ^ "How to steal an election". The Economist. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  29. ^ "Conozca como Daniel Ortega preparo el fraude electoral". Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  30. ^ Wood, Robert. "Irregularities in Nicaraguan Municipal Elections". US Department of State. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  31. ^ Aleman, Filadelfo. "Nicaraguan opposition demands election review". Miami Herald.
  32. ^ LA Times, 20 November 2008, Voter fraud allegations directed at Nicaragua's Sandinistas
  33. ^ Daily Times (Pakistan), 20 February 2009, COMMENT: The Mugabe of Latin America —Carlos R Chamorro
  34. ^ http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKTRE4997KH20081010
  35. ^ http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2008/october/11/reg01.htm
  36. ^ http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/frostovertheworld/2009/03/2009378501399631.html
  37. ^ http://content.glin.gov/summary/224071
  38. ^ "Nicaragua breaks diplomatic relations with Colombia" 6 March 2008 CNN
  39. ^ Mu, Xuequan. "Nicaragua breaks off relations with Colombian gov't". Xinhua News. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  40. ^ "Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela Agree to End Border Crisis". VOA. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  41. ^ "Leaders say Colombia crisis over". London: BBC News. 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  42. ^ Bridges, Tyler (2008-05-25). "Colombian rebels' loss of leader ends an era". Miami Herald.
  43. ^ "Ortega expresa condolencias a FARC por muerte líder" (in Spanish). Reuters. 2008-05-25.
  44. ^ Nicaragua recognizes South Ossetia and Abkhazia
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Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Junta of National Reconstruction
1979– 1985 		Succeeded by
Office abolished
Preceded by President of Nicaragua
1985– 1990 		Succeeded by

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