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The National Police reported that it had arrested opposition pre-candidate for the Presidency of Nicaragua, Juan Sebastián Chamorro García, on charges of “inciting foreign interference in internal affairs,” the fourth arrest of an opposition aspirant in a week.
Chamorro, nephew-in-law of former Nicaraguan president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1990-1997), was arrested at his residence, south of Managua, which was also raided by the National Police.
The presidential pre-candidate for the Citizens for Freedom Alliance was summoned to an interview to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in his capacity as representative of the non-governmental Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (Funides), an independent think tank, which he directed from 2014 to 2019.
In this way, Chamorro becomes the fourth presidential aspirant for the opposition to be investigated and arrested in recent days.
The first arrested was Cristiana Chamorro, cousin of Juan Sebastián, daughter of former president Barrios de Chamorro and the opposition figure most likely to win next November’s presidential elections, and the second was Arturo Cruz, who was ambassador to the United States for the Ortega government between 2007 and 2009.
Nicaraguan tyranny crushes dissidence
The National Police arrested on Wednesday academic and candidate Felix Maradiaga.
Both Chamorro Garcia and Maradiaga are “being investigated for carrying out acts that undermine independence, sovereignty, and self-determination,” according to the Police statement.
Also for “proposing and managing economic, commercial and financial blockades against the country and its institutions, demanding, exalting and applauding the imposition of sanctions against the State of Nicaragua and its citizens”, according to the police statement.
Following the script orchestrated by the tyranny of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, in Nicaragua the authorities are attacking the opposition and imprisoning anyone who could put Ortega’s power at risk.
Juan Sebastián Chamorro was Vice Minister of Finance and Public Credit and Secretary of Coordination and Strategy in the government of Enrique Bolaños (2002-2007) and also director of the American program Millennium Challenge Account in Nicaragua.
The recently arrested man formally registered his pre-candidacy with the opposition Alianza Ciudadanos por la Libertad on April 22, from which a final candidate will be chosen to compete in the elections.
With these arrests, the way is paved for a new reelection of the tyrant Ortega, who has been labeled dictator by the United States, which today urged the rest of the countries of the world to treat him as such, with five months to go before the general elections.
Ortega, 75, who returned to power in 2007 and has ruled since 2017 with his wife, Rosario Murillo, is running for the eighth time for the presidency in the November 7 elections.
The Sandinista leader is in his second stage as president of Nicaragua, after coordinating a Government Junta from 1979 to 1985 and presiding the country for the first time from 1985 to 1990.
