MPN URGES REFORMS IN POLITICAL PLATFORMS TO BREAK

UNCLAS MANAGUA 001555 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI NU SUBJECT: MPN URGES REFORMS IN POLITICAL PLATFORMS TO BREAK PARTISAN STRANGLEHOLDS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: El Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN),a local pro-democracy NGO presented its "Basic Agenda of the Nation" to a diverse audience, including representatives from several European embassies. The MpN introduced 28 proposals they propose that political parties incorporate into their presidential platforms to achieve greater transparency and civil society participation. Key reforms include: reducing the number of deputies in the National Assembly by more than half; limiting deputies to two terms in office; reducing the number of electoral magistrates to five; and reestablishing the 45% minimum required to elect a president and vice president in the first round of voting (from the current 35%). END SUMMARY. MpN Openly Critical of Current Political System - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (U) At a July 6 conference before a packed audience of students, concerned citizens, party constituents and members of the diplomatic corps, Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN) decried the current political system in Nicaragua and urged candidates to incorporate a series of sweeping reforms into their presidential political platforms. Following the national anthem, MpN Committee Executive Klaus Stadthagen set the tone of the meeting by reading a prepared statement that categorized the existing political system as "undemocratic and corrupt", dominated by "caudillos, "big bosses enriching themselves at the public's expense." With the atmosphere of a political rally, the audience cheered after each denunciation. MpN Proposes Fundamental Reforms - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (U) Having captured the crowd's attention, MpN members Cesar Castillo and Aurora Gurdian read a list of 28 diverse and sweeping reforms aimed, in broad terms, at increasing transparency and civil participation in the democratic process, improving the quality and professionalism of elected officials and redeploying the nation's resources to fight poverty and improve education and health care. MpN leaders emphasized that the current political structure, in which individual parties or alliances run the functions of government as fiefdoms, must be dismantled. Of the litany of proposed reforms, the speakers elaborated on a small number of key reforms, including:: -- Placing the issuance of voter registration cards and national ID cards in the hands of an independent entity, completely separate from the Supreme Electoral Council; -- Reducing the number of magistrates in the Supreme Electoral Council to five and implementing an electoral procedure that ensures broader multi-partisan representation; -- Cutting in half the number of National Assembly deputies, limiting them to two terms in office, and eliminating many of their privileges and benefits; --Reducing the "mega salaries" and privileges of public functionaries and redirecting the money for education, health and food programs; -- Fortifying the control mechanisms on the use of national resources and applying sanctions and penalties in cases of misuse or corruption; and -- Reestablishing the 45% minimum threshold required to elect a president and vice president in the first round of voting (from the current 35%). Room for Discussion - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (U) Following the formal presentation, the MpN opened the meeting to audience participation. In rapid succession, the microphone moved from person to person, soliciting ideas and comments from a diverse array of audience members who identified themselves as university students, professionals, party constituents, etc. While the audience participation was lively, the only substantial critique of the MpN's proposals was the exclusion of any proposal related to denying immunity for former military and government officials. (Note: Surprisingly, during the audience participation portion, there was no debate or arguing between the MpN and the audience or among the audience themselves on the issues raised. End note) Comment - - - - ¶5. (SBU) MpN's public announcement of its Basic Agenda for the Nation is a bold step. Not only is the MpN denouncing the corruption and collusion that define the existing political system, it is raising the bar by publicly calling on the parties to proactively adapt sound measures to increase civil participation and transparency. Whether or not anyone was listening to the MpN will play out over the coming days and weeks as the candidates announce and clarify their platforms and the public responds. ¶6. (SBU) Much of the MpN's success in convincing parties to integrate these measures may depend on its abilities to work collaboratively with the parties and to further define and clarify how to implement their proposals. Interestingly, after the presentation of the 28 proposed reforms, there was virtually no further drill-down into any of the issues during the open discussion portion of the conference. This raises a question about how well the MpN has fleshed-out these proposals. TRIVELLI