OAS to hold urgent meeting on Nicaragua plan to ban opposition
Argentina’s Ambassador to the OAS Carlos Cherniak says need for debate on Nicaragua is urgent as Daniel Ortega’s government moves to bar opponents from running for office. Leer más
The Organization of American States (OAS) has decided to hold an urgent meeting to address Nicaragua's plans to ban opposition candidates from participating in elections. The Central American nation, governed by President Daniel Ortega since 2006, has come under scrutiny for its increasingly autocratic rule and intolerance of dissent.
Ortega, 80, is married to Rosario Murillo, who shares his power. The OAS, a Washington-based organization promoting development and cooperation in the Americas, voted on Wednesday to convene an emergency foreign ministers meeting to discuss the situation in Nicaragua. A date for the extraordinary meeting has yet to be determined.
The OAS cannot enforce economic or trade sanctions, but is limited to diplomatic condemnation, suspension of membership, or recommending other punitive measures. Argentina's Ambassador to the OAS, Carlos Cherniak, emphasized the urgency of the debate, suggesting that Nicaragua's regime could potentially be a platform for criminal organizations.
The United States government had previously urged OAS members to take "real action" against the Ortega regime, arguing that repeated condemnations without significant action only emboldens President Ortega and his wife. The opposition in exile welcomed the OAS decision, with former presidential candidate and political prisoner Juan Sebastián Chamorro calling it a "victory for democracy in Nicaragua."
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
