Nicaragua marks revolution amid protests, bloodshed
MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Nicaragua marked the 39th anniversary of the 1979 revolution against dictator Anastasio Somoza on Thursday, despite an ongoing political crisis that has seen hundreds killed in a government crackdown on protesters seeking President Daniel Ortega’s exit from office.
Supporters of the president, who helped lead the Sandinista uprising decades ago, say the country has made progress under Ortega’s rule.
But detractors argue that Ortega has become a dictator himself and should step down after consolidating near-total political control in the hands of his family. His wife, Rosario Murillo, occupies the vice presidency.
“I never thought I would see Daniel Ortega become a dictator, let alone a criminal who would try to stay in power with fire and bloodshed,” said political analyst Julio Lopez Campos, an ex-guerrilla fighter who was once close to the president.
The Nicaraguan Pro-Human Rights Association has tallied 351 killings related to unrest from April 19 to July 10, while the government puts the figure at more than 200.
Despite the violence, many were expected to gather Thursday afternoon at a public square near Lake Managua to hear Ortega speak during a rally commemorating the fall of the Somoza dictatorship. The annual event usually draws hundreds of thousands of people, including government employees for whom attendance is essentially not optional.
This year, the government did not organize caravans from other cities as is customary, but instead directed people outside the capital to celebrate locally with pinata parties in parks and plazas.
Many people were still expected to attend the rally in support of the government.
“The revolution is more alive than ever,” said Ortega supporter Arelia Membreno, who runs a small business in the Managua neighborhood of Laureles Sur. “They have given me a loan, a scholarship for my daughter, and the street in front of my house has been paved. Before, it was dirt.”
But Ortega’s ability to hand out such largesse has been crippled by the steady collapse of Venezuela, whose leftist government had sold cut-rate fuel to Nicaragua. With Venezuela’s economy crumbling and oil production dropping, it has become harder to subsidize Nicaraguan fuel purchases.
The opposition Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy urged Nicaraguans to boycott celebrations and send a message by staying home with their families.
“There is nothing to celebrate,” it said in a message circulated on social media, “but rather much to lament.”
Thursday also marked three months since the onset of anti-government protests that began over cuts to the social security system but broadened to include demands for Ortega to leave office and early elections to be held.
In his drive to consolidate control, Ortega — who returned to power in 2007 following three failed attempts to win the presidency — has sidestepped term limits to get himself re- elected and packed courts and government agencies with allies. His selection of Murillo as vice president was seen by many as a bid to set up a family dynasty.