US, Britain, Canada impose sanctions on Nicaragua after ‘election-comedy’

The U.S. government on Monday announced financial sanctions against Nicaraguan prosecutors and nine Central American government officials in response to what the White House called an “election imitation,” a “comedy orchestrated” by the president. Ortega and Vice President Rosario Mourinho “.

The threat of sanctions would have been circulating before the November 7 vote, in the absence of the opposition, following the imprisonment of the head of state’s main potential opponents. The US sanctions are aimed at the prosecutor’s office, which, according to the US Treasury Department, has made “unfair arrests and investigations against presidential candidates in order to prevent them from running, thus undermining democracy”.

Among the targets of the sanctions are members of the government, such as Deputy Finance Minister Jose Adrian Chavaria Montenegro, Minister of Energy and Mines Salvador Mansel Castrigo, as well as the mayors of Matagalpa, Hinotega and Esontego. that they were involved in the violent crackdown on protesters in 2018.

Any resources they have in the US will be frozen and their access to the US financial system will be barred.

In coordination with Washington, the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada also announced yesterday sanctions against officials in Nicaragua.

US President Joe Biden has described as “pantomime” the election in which President Daniel Ortega inevitably secured his fourth consecutive term in office with his wife Rosario Mourillo as vice president. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had warned that Washington was preparing new sanctions.

“The Ortega regime is using laws and institutions to arrest members of the opposition and deprive Nicaraguan people of their right to vote,” Finance Minister Andrea Gaki told a Finance Ministry press release.

According to her, “the United States is sending an unequivocal message to President Ortega, Vice President Mourinho and their inner circle, showing their support for the people of Nicaragua” who, in her view, called for “reforms” so that “the return of democracy”.

The sanctions imposed by Britain target 8 officials, including Vice President Mourinho. Those in Canada are targeting 11 Nicaraguan officials.

The Organization of American States (OAS) on Friday approved a resolution declaring that the elections in Nicaragua did not have “democratic legitimacy”. Twenty-five Member States voted in favor and seven abstained.

Source: AMPE