On 8 December the Organization of American States (OAS) held a special meeting in which it issued a new resolution on Nicaragua, which concluded that the country is not in compliance with its commitments under the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
Analysis:
This is the latest attempt by the international community to put pressure on the Nicaraguan government led by President Daniel Ortega, who was re-elected on 7 November in a vote widely slammed as a sham. It follows the 12 November OAS vote in favour of a resolution which found that the elections were “not free, fair or transparent and have no democratic legitimacy”. Ortega has shown little sign of bowing to this pressure, which has also included foreign sanctions. Instead he has opted to begin the process of withdrawing Nicaragua from the OAS, which is expected to take two years. The OAS resolution once again underlines Nicaragua’s growing isolation on the international stage and if its conditions are not met (which remains highly likely given Ortega’s stance to date), could result in the country’s eventual suspension from the hemispheric body and further diplomatic, political and economic sanctions.
- The OAS resolution urges the Ortega government to release all political prisoners (believed to number over 160) and accept “a high-level good offices mission” authorised by the OAS permanent council with a mandate to secure an agreement on a process that would lead to various outcomes. These include: the implementation of comprehensive electoral reforms; the repeal of all legislation that restricts political participation and limits human rights in a manner contrary to Nicaragua’s international human rights obligations; and a dialogue between all political parties and other actors in Nicaragua “with the objective of holding early presidential and parliamentary elections that are free, fair, and transparent, with credible international observation” – demands which Ortega has previously shown no indication of heeding.
- The OAS resolution also calls on the government to allow the immediate return of international human rights bodies, such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – serving to illustrate continued concerns regarding the human rights situation in Nicaragua, which were recently highlighted by an IACHR-endorsed report.
- The OAS resolution was approved with 25 votes in favour and eight abstentions (Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Honduras, Mexico, St. Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines), while Nicaragua was the sole country to vote against it.
- Indicative of Nicaragua’s efforts to shore up ties with its few remaining allies (Cuba, Venezuela and Russia), on 6 December a Nicaraguan delegation which included two of Ortega’s sons – Laureano Ortega, a presidential adviser on investment, and Rafael Ortega, a presidential delegate – along with Finance Minister Iván Acosta, paid a visit to Russia. This produced various agreements such as the inauguration of an association for Russo-Nicaraguan economic cooperation and a cooperation agreement with Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom with the objective of promoting the peaceful use of nuclear technology for the energy, agriculture and medicine sectors.
- The two countries also highlighted various other joint projects in the areas of health (such as the Mechnikov vaccine plant which was inaugurated in Managua in 2016); food security (the purchase of wheat from Russia); and public transport, (Nicaragua’s acquisition of Russian-manufactured buses).
Looking Ahead: The OAS resolution also mandates the OAS Secretary-General to “urgently seek a meeting” with the Nicaraguan government and secure its acceptance of a high-level good offices mission and requests that the OAS Secretary-General report on these diplomatic efforts to the permanent council no later than 17 December.