The main opposition presidential candidate in Nicaragua has denounced that Daniel Ortega’s regime seeks to sidestep her request

Christian Chamorro, A candidate for the presidency of Nicaragua, faces the risk of being excluded from the November elections after being accused of money laundering that could prevent him from facing President Daniel Ortega if he decides to run in the elections, as expected.

Chamorro, 67, rejects the accusations and seeks unity in the opposition to defeat Ortega in the elections, as did his mother Violetta at the helm of the coalition in 1990.

I was born in a home associated with the independent press, and I oppose any kind of dictatorship, oppression and corruption. At that time it was against the Somoza dictatorship (which ruled from 1937 until the victory of the revolution in 1979). My decision to say yes to Nicaragua and to serve the people was born precisely because of the building of another dictatorship, the dictatorship of Ortega. “, In an interview with the agency France Press agency.

“People once again said enough about dictatorships, as they did when Somoza, later against the Sandinistas in [las eleciones de] 1990. In 2018, residents spontaneously took to the streets to protest and demand free elections … and early elections. Ortega’s response was to shoot to kill protesters. Since then, Nicaragua has witnessed a de facto state of siege.

On May 21, the Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a case against the Violetta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH), which Christiana had led between 1998 and February 2021, for money laundering in the 2015-2019 period. If she is prosecuted, Nicaraguan law does not allow her to run for elected office.

The Public Prosecution (the prosecutor) has summoned at least six journalists as part of an investigation against the opposition presidential candidate

“I don’t know what they could accuse me of, I don’t know as a witness what I’m here for, I don’t know what money laundering they’re talking about,” said Univision reporter. Maria Lilly DelgadoOne of those mentioned, who warned him of the possibility of holding it again.

Last Monday, the “urgent” summons were sent to journalist Delgado Veronica Chavez, 100% co-owner of the digital medium Noticias; to Roberto CarcamoBy ABC stereo; And a businessman Fabio Gadia, The owner of Corporación Radio, one of the oldest radio in the country.

Additionally, journalists have been cited Lord Aruleega s Guillermo Medrano, Who worked for Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (FVBCH), which closed its operations in February affected by a law to report receipt of funds received from abroad and declare itself as a foreign agent.

Callers refused to testify without the presence of a lawyer. But they warned that if they did pass with a defender, their status would change “from witness to accused,” as Delgado, who at one point worked for FVBCH, denounced.

He explained that his relationship with the organization was in coordinating the media and training journalists. “This is not a crime,” he stressed.

The Sandinista security forces raided the Confidential digital media offices it ran Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Brother of Christiana, who covered the protracted anti-government protests in 2018 and from 328 people were left dead, According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). In the wake of the regime’s brutal crackdown on the protests, the Ortega government faced severe international sanctions.

Christiana considered the case against her a “crude farce” and condemned the freezing of her bank accounts and the lifting of bank secrecy. “I also see it as revenge for the legacy of my mother, Violetta Chamorro, whom we gathered in the foundation that bears her name. In this outrageous way, he takes revenge on the defeat (1990) that he seems to have not overcome. Ortega is a dictator who knows he has the rejection of the majority of the people, but he does not.” He accepts that because his plan is to continue mismanaging the country until his forces allow it. “

The presidential candidate has garnered 13.3% citizen support, according to a Cid Gallup poll in January, and appears as an opponent of Ortega, in power since 2007 who, according to his opponents, will attempt a fourth consecutive term. People have put me first on their electoral preferences list. That is why the dictator ordered an accusation against me, for this is revenge on the people. “The Nicaraguan journalist said.

Facing the elections, he stressed the importance of “unity” in the opposition, saying that the main challenge for the opposition is unity. All serious polls agree that the people want to vote, but they want to elect one candidate from the opposition. Partition is the worst-case scenario. I am sure that the majority of Nicaraguans, including the public sector, want freedom, progress and decent treatment. My method is to defeat Ortega by peaceful means, that is, through free, transparent, fair and controlled elections. “

Ortega, 75, ruled Nicaragua during the revolution in the 1980s and returned to the presidency in 2007. He was re-elected in 2011 and 2016, and his opponents do not rule out that he will try to achieve a fourth term in the November 7 elections.

Ortega was already defeated, and that is why he hastened to agree to an electoral reform instead of facilitating the elections. Rather, he increased the complexity of the elections, put more restrictions and appointed a higher electoral council that fully obeys his orders.Chamorro concluded by noting that Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, had established a “brutal family dictatorship.”

With information from Agence France-Presse

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