Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MANAGUA430
2006-02-24 21:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Managua
Cable title:  

DANIELISTAS RIG COURT RULING TO FACILITATE

Tags:  KDEM NU PGOV PINR PREL KCOR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0023
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #0430/01 0552111
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 242111Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5386
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0548
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000430 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2016
TAGS: KDEM NU PGOV PINR PREL KCOR
SUBJECT: DANIELISTAS RIG COURT RULING TO FACILITATE
ELECTORAL COMMISSION COUP

REF: A) MANAGUA 0304 B) MANAGUA 0281 C) 2005 MANAGUA
3118

Classified By: Ambassador Paul A. Trivelli. Reasons 1.4 (B,D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000430

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2016
TAGS: KDEM NU PGOV PINR PREL KCOR
SUBJECT: DANIELISTAS RIG COURT RULING TO FACILITATE
ELECTORAL COMMISSION COUP

REF: A) MANAGUA 0304 B) MANAGUA 0281 C) 2005 MANAGUA
3118

Classified By: Ambassador Paul A. Trivelli. Reasons 1.4 (B,D).


1. (C) Summary: Embassy is encouraging non-Sandinista
(FSLN) parties to protest recent Supreme Electoral Council
(CSE) and the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber
decisions enabling CSE president Roberto Rivas to replace two
of the CSE's PLC magistrates with the substitutes of his
choice, thereby consolidating the FSLN's dominance over the
electoral body. OAS technical advisers are refraining from a
statement at this time, noting the OAS COM Gustavo Fernandez
enjoys the mandate to do this, but are welcoming written
complaints. Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC),Camino
Cristiano, APRE, and Herty Alliance militants have held a
joint press conference announcing they will submit to the
National Assembly a new law interpreting certain Electoral
Law articles. For political reasons, Eduardo Montealegre's
ALN-PC caucus may present its own statement and support the
draft law. The Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN) has joined the
public outcry, accusing the Sandinistas of seeking total
hegemony over the CSE. This crisis is one of the first of
many we can expect to surface over the next ten months and is
likely part of the Sandinista strategy to upset and confuse
the electoral process and distract the National Assembly for
more substantive endeavors. End Summary.


2. (C) Embassy is encouraging non-FSLN parties to protest
recent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) and the Supreme
Court's constitutional chamber decisions enabling CSE
president Roberto Rivas to replace two of the CSE's PLC
magistrates with the substitutes of his choice, thereby
consolidating the FSLN's dominance over the electoral body.
On February 21, DCM and polcouns urged Jose Antonio Alvarado,
who is affiliated with the Alianza por la Republica (APRE)
party, to protest these CSE/court machinations; Alvarado and
APRE President Miguel Lopez Baldizon have both publicly done

so. Polcouns broached the matter with Eduardo
Montealegre/ALN-PC supporter Vilma Rosa Leon-York the same
day. While agreeing that this is yet another Sandinista
maneuver, she noted that the fact the court ruling also
legitimizes the ALN-PC's party name change and emblem changes
makes it difficult for the party to challenge this court
ruling (a FSLN tactic to discourage Montealegre from
protesting).


3. (C) On February 22, polcouns talked with Assembly Deputy,
Reverend Guillermo Osorno (Camino Cristiano),who reported
that all non-Sandinista parties would convene February 23 at
10 AM to agree on a joint position and announce it at a press
conference following the meeting. Osorno shared that Orlando
Tardencilla's (Herty Lewites supporter) National Assembly
substitute, Oscar Carrion, is the drafter of the joint
position. Osorno explained that the group intends to file an
appeal (recurso de amparo) with the Appellate court
questioning the legality of the ruling (the PLC has already
filed its own recurso de amparo). He was responsive to
Polcouns' suggestion that their group send the joint
statement to the OAS for its consideration. According to
Osorno, while there is some debate over the legality of the
designation of CSE substitutes, there is no doubt that the
Supreme Court's constitutional division violated the law by
deliberately excluding PLC constitutional chamber justices
from its deliberations whi
le including an external judge to rule in favor of Rivas.


4. (SBU) Polcouns later talked to Oscar Carrion, who
asserted the following:

--Article 6 of the Electoral Law allows each magistrate to
designate his/her substitute to represent him/her as needed.
This authority is not/not accorded to the CSE president.
Contrary to what OAS lawyers believe, Carrion said Article 12
of the Electoral law does not accord Rivas this authority.

--The constitutional chamber's use of external justices is in
violation of the law.

--While the CSE was pressured to reinstate Electoral Law
articles 41 and 116, it has modified article 41 to limit a
voter's ability to vote. Voters who appear on a list that
notes they have requested to change their voting station
(JRV) will not/not be allowed to vote elsewhere.


5. (SBU) Later the same day, DCM talked with Patricio

Gajardo, who reiterated the OAS is not in position to insert
itself at this moment, partially because COM Gustavo
Fernandez is away until next week and is the only one
authorized to speak for the OAS team. Further, they have not
received any official complaint or request to intervene on
the part of the PLC and other parties. Gajardo pointed out
that the PLC erred by allowing CSE president Rivas to appoint
the substitutes because it permitted him to corral the five
votes necessary to re-elect himself and Lang. The OAS team
is now examining all related legal/constitutional issues, and
will specifically scrutinize the question of whether, if the
CSJ decision is overturned, such a revocation nullifies
decisions made by the stacked CSE (it probably will).
(Comment: Embassy believes that it would be helpful to have
USOAS urge Biehl, Fernandez, et al, to engage on this issue
once they have the Carrion position paper and legal analysis
in hand to expose the
manipulation and one-party control of the CSE.)


6. (C) As expected, representatives from the PLC, Camino
Cristiano, APRE, and the Herty Alliance convened on February
23 and held a joint press conference. Carrion informed
polcouns that the group did not issue a joint written
statement, but they did make the following points:

--The parties/caucuses will draft and submit to the National
Assembly secretary next week a new law interpreting Electoral
Law Article 6 regarding the substitution of CSE magistrates
(Carrion faxed us a draft copy on February 24);

--Parties represented in the meeting will participate in the
Atlantic Coast election but under protest;

--They invite two representatives from Eduardo Montealegre's
caucus/alliance to future meetings; and,

--Next week they will submit letters to the OAS, embassies,
and other entities with their common position.

Where Does Montealegre Stand?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


7. (C) Carrion claimed that Montealegre adviser Eliseo Nunez
had declined to participate in previous meeting; however,
Carrion asserted he heard from other Montealegre supporters
that this absence does not represent Montealegre's opinion.
Carrion shared that he later approached ALN-PC caucus chair
Maria Eugenia Sequeira, who he said agreed to "consider" the
invitation. Following this conversation, polcouns contacted
Sequeira, who clarified that personally she will not
participate in any effort that is clearly dominated by
Arnoldo Aleman and the PLC/PC. "The PLC and Aleman are the
ones that are most responsible for this disaster. If it
weren't for the (Aleman-Ortega) pact, this wouldn't have
happened," exclaimed Sequeira. Today the Aleman is battling
Ortega; tomorrow they will renew their pact, she claimed.


8. (C) Sequeira did not discard the possibility that other
ALN-PC representatives might participate in the joint effort.
However, she believes the ALN-PC is more likely to issue its
own statement, while supporting the draft law when it is
presented to the Assembly. Too close an association with the
PLC at this time could ruin Montealegre's image and send the
wrong message to his supporters, explained Sequeira.
Montealegre confirmed to DCM the evening of February 23 that
he would make it clear in a television appearance the
following morning that he and the ALN-PC were against the
FLSN power-play and blatant partisan manipulation of the CSE.
In a February 24 press conference, Montealegre rejected the
court/CSE machinations, called on all CSE magistrates to get
back to work, sign an OAS-witnessed agreement to maintain
quorum through the electoral period, and make CSE sessions
public.

The Movimiento Joins the Voices of Protest
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


9. (U) In a widely televised February 23 press conference,
the Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN),joined the public outcry.
MpN member Rosa Maria Zelaya (ex-Sandinista, former CSE
magistrate) called for the resignation of the CSE board,
noting the magistrates have lost all legitimacy. MpN
affiliate/reformed Sandinista, Carlos Tunnerman asserted
that the Atlantic Coast election will be seriously flawed and
the November election is in serious danger. These latest
maneuvers have allowed Daniel Ortega to assume total control

of the electoral body and are a result of the nefarious
Ortega-Aleman pact, warned Tunnerman. The MpN also issued
its own statement, rejecting the CSE's conduct and
organization vis a vis the Atlantic Coast elections and
rejecting the Constitutional Chamber's ruling and Rivas'
appointment of CSE substitutes in a manner violating the
Electoral Law.

Comment
- - - -


10. (C) This crisis is one of the first of many we can
expect to surface over the next ten months and is likely part
of the Sandinista strategy to upset and confuse the electoral
process and distract the National Assembly from more
substantive pursuits. Ironically, the FSLN's clearly devious
antics could foster rapprochement among Nicaragua's divided
democratic forces who are now confronting a common adversary,
Ortega. Embassy will continue to encourage Montealegre and
his supporters to participate in this effort.
TRIVELLI