Nicaragua after the elections

The situation in Nicaragua has filled us with ever greater concern, and it is one on which our Organization must consider acting firmly, above all with regard to the recent elections held in that country on November 7. What happened was something all of us gathered here sensed, or were all but certain, would happen.

Very sad and regrettable, too, is the fact that we all knew what this meant for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in Nicaragua. All this came about despite the continued appeals and messages of goodwill and mediation addressed to the government within the framework of the relations of friendship and cooperation between our countries, the Charter of the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

The increasingly regrettable events in Nicaragua surrounding the detention, without guarantee of their rights, of pre-candidates for elective office and of opposition, social and business leaders constituted a clear and tangible threat to the holding of a fair electoral process as an expression of the sovereignty of the Nicaraguan people. Those and other actions against political parties and groups, and against freedom of the press and of expression, prevented the conditions necessary for free and fair elections.

Dear colleagues, we are well aware that when a crisis affects one country it generally has repercussions for its neighbors and for the whole region. On what has happened in Nicaragua, always respectful of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and of the self-determination of peoples, we are very clear that all of us gathered here are committed to the principles and values of the Organization of American States (OAS). The decision has recently been taken to denounce the Charter of the Organization of American States, which begins the process of withdrawal from the OAS. With those actions, the path of isolation and estrangement has been chosen.

Mr. Chair, the Dominican Government considers that the elections of November 7 in Nicaragua did not meet the conditions to be considered free, fair and competitive; this contravenes the Charter of the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Democratic Charter and must be roundly rejected. We urge the Nicaraguan Government to release the political prisoners and to take the appropriate actions to return to the path of democracy.

We hope for a peaceful solution to the Nicaraguan crisis through dialogue, by way of a process that restores trust between the parties and leads to the holding of new elections that are fair, free and transparent and that reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people, with guarantees for all the political actors and groups involved and with the accompaniment of the international community.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.