LatinNews Daily - 15 November 2021

Nicaragua: On 10 November US President Joe Biden signed into law the ‘Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform (Renacer) Act’ which would “dramatically increase US diplomatic engagement” in Nicaragua, according to a press release by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the communiqué the new legislation is “in response to the government of Daniel Ortega’s continued use of repressive tactics to intimidate, inhibit or arrest every aspiring opposition candidate ahead of the scheduled [general] elections in November”. Among other things it requires the US government to “increase sanctions on key actors in the Ortega regime that are undermining prospects for democratic elections in Nicaragua, and expand sanctions coordination with Canada and the European Union”.  It also calls for the US executive to open a formal review to determine whether Nicaragua should be allowed continued participation in the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (Cafta). Additionally, the bill requires increased intelligence reporting on Russian activities in Nicaragua and a review of Russian arms sales to Nicaragua for potential sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). His signing into law of the act follows the 7 November general election, which produced a victory for Ortega but was widely slammed by the international community as undemocratic.

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