LEON: SANDINISTA BASTION WELCOMES AMBASSADOR, MCC

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000715 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2016 TAGS: KDEM NU PGOV PINR PREL KMCA EFIN ECON SUBJECT: LEON: SANDINISTA BASTION WELCOMES AMBASSADOR, MCC SUPPORT REF: MANAGUA 0709 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador Paul A. Trivelli. Reasons 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) Summary: During Ambassador's recent trip to Leon department, the upcoming November national elections were on the tongues of all interlocutors. The cradle of Liberalism, intellectual Leon is now a Sandinista (FSLN) bastion, with ten of its eleven mayors in the department FSLN militants. Notwithstanding Leon's Sandinista bent, local government and university authorities appear willing to participate in U.S.-funded programs, if for no other reason than to improve regional prosperity. Ambassador met jointly with Leon's Sandinista mayor Transito Tellez and a baseball coach and a young pitcher who participated in the World Baseball Classic. He inaugurated a USAID-sponsored National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) Judicial Oversight Institute and was interviewed live by VOA affiliate Radio Dario (average of 30,000 listeners). While views vary regarding which political party and candidates will float to the top in Leon, most contacts concur that the FSLN will lead the pack, in part, according to opponents, because the Sandinistas are threatening to fire and withdraw scholarships from Leoneses who do not support them. While Herty Lewites supporters claim they will draw votes both from the FSLN and the Liberals, Eduardo Montealegre supporters assert that despite the Sandinista hegemony in Leon, he will attract a substantial segment of young voters. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Taking advantage of Ambassador's March 23 trip to Leon to inaugurate a USAID-sponsored National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) Judicial Oversight Institute and to greet baseball coach Sandy Moreno and Little League pitcher Geovanni Toval -- recently returned from a Department-sponsored baseball diplomacy program -- Ambassador met with local political, economic, and civil society leaders. His message was clear: The U.S. supports clean, transparent, and inclusive elections; we oppose caudillismo, not/not a particular party; it is unclear whether the FSLN is democratic; the PLC under Arnoldo Aleman is not acceptable to the international community; we encourage Nicaraguans to vote for an alternative; and while a united center-right would be ideal, it is not essential to maintaining friendship and cooperation between our two countries. ¶3. (SBU) Of Leon's eleven municipalities, ten -- including the city of Leon - - are controlled by the FSLN/Convergencia. The cradle of Liberalism, Leon was a center of conflict during the 1980s civil war. A large portion of the Sandinista soldiers came from the department, and today Leon is a Sandinista (FSLN) bastion. One of the hubs of Sandinista militancy is the UNAN, whose incoming rector, Rigoberto Sampson, is one of the FSLN's National Assembly deputies. Notwithstanding Leon's Sandinista dominance, its residents -- including its Sandinista mayors -- pride themselves over their participation in the U.S.-sponsored Millennium Challenge Account compact program (the program covers Leon and Chinandega departments). EDUARDO DRAWS THE YOUTH VOTE? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (C) Election talk is already abuzz in this university town. While most interlocutors concurred that Daniel Ortega will likely win the department, Montealegre and Lewites supporters assert that their respective candidates draw more support than meets the eye; poll respondents are reluctant to express support for anyone other than Ortega because the fear the FSLN will retaliate, Lewites and Montealegre supporters told us. They claim that Sandinista tactics include threats that non-supporters will lose government jobs and "uncooperative" students will lose their scholarships. ¶5. (SBU) Montealegre's Leon campaign manager, Ramon Masias, is a lapsed PLC militant who abandoned the PLC after he refused to defend PLC caudillo/convicted money launderer Arnoldo Aleman. He shared with Ambassador one of Aleman's favorite mantras: 'An ounce of loyalty is worth a quintal (one hundred pounds) of wisdom,' adding that Aleman has tried six times to convince Masias to return to the PLC fold. He warned Ambassador that Nicaragua is "on the brink of a political catastrophe" if Daniel Ortega wins in November. Noting that Nicaragua's rural vote will be key to winning the November election and that most of Nicaragua's rural voters hate the Sandinistas, Masias acknowledged that it will nonetheless be difficult to draw this support to Montealegre's camp because -- thanks to Aleman's politically astute program to build schools and health clinics in remote areas -- rural voters are diehard PLC loyalists. Further, though much weakened, the PLC still maintains working party machinery, certainly more robu st and experienced than Montealegre's. Mentioning that Radio Corporacion reaches every corner of the department, Masias suggested that well-targeted messages via radio could help garner support for Montealegre. (Radio Corporacion's baseball announcer already throws in pitches for Montealegre in between calling balls and strikes.) ¶6. (SBU) Masias acknowledged that a four-way presidential race presents its risks, but does not fear it, noting that both Montealegre and Lewites enjoy considerable support in Leon, particularly among the youth who are attracted to Montealegre's youth and honesty. The FSLN's competitive advantage is its funds to buy votes and its promises that a Sandinista victory means food and jobs for everyone. Still, if elections were held today, Eduardo would win 40 percent of the vote, claimed Masias. He also dismissed FSLN assertions that Herty garners no Sandinista support, noting that many people are afraid to voice their opinion for fear of losing their jobs or scholarships in the Sandinista-dominated department. To Ambassador's query over the appropriateness, or not, of his public messages, Masias was unequivocal: while politicos may fuss over them in public, talking straight to politicians is the only way to have impact. Further, ventured Masias, the Nicaraguan people need to know that the U.S. is helping th em, although USG resources would be put to better use if more funds went to the people and less to "expensive foreign consultants." CAFTA: BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN, EVEN IF WE ARE UNPREPARED - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶7. (SBU) A self-made leather producer, Masias claimed that Nicaragua is not a poor country but lamented that its politicians have made the people poor and the wealthy have not learned to share. He believes that small industry will be the key to Leon's economic future. To Ambassador's query over local viewpoints on CAFTA, Masias replied that he is a firm CAFTA supporter, that it will be the best thing that could happen to Nicaragua, even though Leoneses are not well prepared to compete and suffer from exorbitant energy costs (over $1,000 per month for his small factory). In Nicaragua, being an industrialist is a heroic exercise, explained Masias, who considers commercial work much easier. He was responsive to Ambassador's initiative for the private sector to help its employees obtain national ID cards (cedulas) to vote and to go to the polls on Election Day. HERTY 2006 AIMS TO TAKE VOTES FROM FSLN AND PLC - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (C) Herty supporters Julio Argueta (Herty 2006 coordinator); Humberto Altamirano (Movimiento Pro-Rescate Sandinista),Alfonso Silva Roman (Movimiento para el Rescate del Sandinismo, or MRS); and Luis Felipe Perez Caldera (former Leon mayor and leader of the Movimiento para la Union pro Leon) coincided that the FSLN maintains is dominance over Leon. However, they argued that Lewites and Montealegre also enjoy considerable support and that, on Election Day, the results might tilt in the favor of these two dissident candidates. They explained that Herty Alliance priorities for now are to build a cadre of campaign activists and monitors; so far the alliance has 1,000 supporters and aims to reach 10,000. Most of these volunteers are young Sandinistas and independents, they explained, noting that people are drawn to Lewites' opposition to the Aleman-Ortega pact, also the reason he garners the support of more Sandinista "commandantes" than Ortega's mafia-run FSLN. The FSLN is not internally democratic, and neither FSLN nor Liberal elites care about social justice and jobs for the poor; the Sandinista intellectuals are with Herty, claimed Silva Roman. ¶9. (C) Silva Roman confirmed that the FSLN is threatening Lewites supporters that they will lose their jobs and scholarships if they continue supporting Herty. This fear of reprisal prompts many poll respondents to claim they support Ortega, but they will vote for Herty, claimed Silva Roman, who added that Lewites sincerely seeks a constructive, respectful relationship with the United States. The problem is not the United States, but Nicaragua's political class; most Nicaraguans desire positive relations with the United States and most have family or friends there, he explained. SANDINISTA MAYOR - EX-YOUTH COMMANDO TURNED PRAGMATIST? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶10. (C) Mayor Transito Genaro Tellez, who is a candidate for the MCA-Nicaragua (MCA-N) board, asserted to Ambassador that he is a public servant for all residents first, and a Sandinista second. Attempting to distance himself from Daniel Ortega, he claimed he challenged the FSLN leaders when Ortega preferred another mayoral candidate. Tellez also criticized Sandinista dissidents Alejandro Martinez Cuenca and Herty Lewites for failing to support him at that juncture. He had nothing but praise for the MCA-N initiative. To Tellez, the MCA-N deserves credit for reviving Leon's mayors' association, which was on the road to extinction until the Millennium Challenge Account reunited the group and gave them something to work for. He is optimistic that the MCC will bring prosperity to the region and improve bilateral relations, concurring with Secretary Rice's remark that the U.S.G. has made considerable investment abroad but it has had little impact. To Tellez, the new MCC assistance scheme is a better approach. Proud of his Sandinista roots, Tellez explained that he had cut his Sandinista teeth as a member of its youth commando in the 1980s. ¶11. (SBU) A self-declared political reformist and journalist by training, Tellez claimed he prefers to change the FSLN from within. He appeared receptive to Ambassador's message that, while the U.S. harbors serious doubts over Ortega's democratic credentials, we would look favorably on the FSLN's evolution into a modern, left-of-center party. Nonetheless, Tellez dismissed Herty as an agent of change, asserting 'he already had his chance' and enjoys little support in Leon. Rather, the change must come from below and from the younger generations, not from the old Sandinista leadership in Managua, averred Tellez, who noted that five of Leon's mayors are young and are questioning the old ways. Tellez remarked that election fever has already arrived in Leon, noting eight Sandinista pre-candidates will vie in May primaries for National Assembly seats. He predicted Daniel Ortega will be Nicaragua's next president, reasoning that the governments of the past 16 years have failed to meet the people's needs and a spirations. ¶12. (SBU) As an example of moral decay and national government ineffectiveness (over the prolonged public hospital doctors' and medical workers' strike),Tellez cited a recent grisly discovery by city employees of six human fetuses in a hospital dumpster. Moreover, patients have no access to medicines, and while during the 1980s the illiteracy rate dropped to 10 percent, it has since climbed to 30-40 percent. Tellez also claimed that Ortega has changed his ways and will not return the country to the days of the 1980s. Ambassador pushed back, asserting that Ortega continues to use hostile 1980s rhetoric, most recently blaming the U.S. for the worldwide drug scourge and even accusing U.S. lawmakers of being complicit. PRIVATE SECTOR - - - - - - - ¶13. (SBU) Receptive to COSEP cedulation and voter outreach, BANPRO managers Xavier Lopez Guerrero and Juan Carlos Gurdian; BANCENTRO branch manager Carlos Fernandez Sera; BAC branch manager Hipatia de Montalvan; and, Jose Saldivar, Manager of ARNECOM, which produces electric chassis for Ford Explorers, echoed Masias' assessment of CAFTA. While the Leon area lacks preparation to compete in CAFTA, they concurred that it will ultimately benefit from it, noting that as a university town, Leon has a talented pool of job applicants to draw on. According to the bankers, after Managua, Leon is the area where banks are thriving most, with record deposits. Despite the uncertainty of the November election outcome, customers continue to renew their certificates of deposit, although most will expire by January 2007 at the latest, they said. ARNECOM is even expanding its production and investments, although it does have a contingency plan: in the event that the Sandinistas win and Ortega implements draconian policies against the private sector, they can relocate to another country. CIVIL SOCIETY: WE MUST PROMOTE CITIZEN RIGHTS, NOT JUST ELECTIONS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶14. (SBU) Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN) and Etica y Transparencia (ET) representatives who met with Ambassador argued that that civil society must not only prepare Nicaraguans for elections, but also help them exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens and to lobby for better public services. Leon ET coordinator Hermogenes Santiago Media Rodriguez and MpN coordinators Allison Maria Loasiga, Jorge Antonio Sarria, and Carmen Maria Salgado, explained they are encouraging Leoneses to challenge electricity provider Union Fenosa for its exorbitant yet mediocre service (see para 17). On the political landscape, Salgado asserted that Tellez had stacked the already bloated municipal government with his cronies and was not popular, having won with only 12 percent of the eligible voter pool. If it had not been for PLC leader Enrique Quinonez, current ALN-PC Assembly Deputy Maria Eugenia Sequeira would have been mayor, she claimed (Quinonez interrupted a Sequeira rally, barging onto the stage and attacki ng participants). MpN activities for the November election include helping citizens obtain and verify their cedulas and educating them on the process and the candidates through spots on a Radio La Carninosa. ET is auditing the cedula process and the voter roster (padron),and will have an ample cadre of electoral observers, explained Media Rodriquez. ¶15. (SBU) While Salgado, who is an economist, concurred with Ambassador that Nicaragua has progressed over the past ten years, she averred that jobs are what people relate to, not economic indicators. "You can't eat macroeconomics," she quipped, citing tourism, agro-industry, and small industries as potential growth areas that could benefit from CAFTA. However, infrastructure and public services must improve to enable Leoneses to compete. For example, only 21 of Leon's 196 bakeries have potable water, she said. The group concurred that Nicaraguans desire a political change and were receptive to Secretary Rice's assertion that the problem is not the Left but how to make the Left democratic. "Civil society's job will not end with the election; the MpN must be the fly in the eye of whatever government that comes to power," opined Salgado. MCC COMPACT - WE NEED IT, WANT IT, AND WON'T LOSE IT - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶16. (SBU) An atmosphere of enthusiasm and anxiety pervaded the Ambassador's meeting with the Leon and Chinandega development councils (Nicaragua has a network of local development councils at the departmental and municipal levels and under the framework of the National Development Council (CONADES) established by the Citizen Participation Law). Without exception, participants Enrique Padilla Chinandega UPANIC (Agropecuarios Producers of Nicaragua); Agrecio Osejo, FSLN Mayor of Somotillo-Chinandega; Alberto Aviles (GON's representative in Chinandega (associated with presidential-hopeful/APRE member Jose Antonio Alvarado); Jilma Balladares VP of CDD Leon and President of Fundapadele NGO (constructs low-budget housing); and Ernesto Medina, outgoing UNAN rector had nothing but praise for the MCC compact. However, also without exception, they were clearly anxious that the program's fate could hinge on the outcome of the November election, specifically that the U.S. will withdraw the program if Daniel Ortega wins. Somotillo's Sandinista mayor summed up the group's sentiment on the MCC: "We need it, want it and will make sure we do not lose it," also asserting that Nicaragua's changes were irreversible and even an Ortega victory would not return Nicaragua to the 1980s. To this concern, Ambassador replied that the MCC will continue so long as the new Nicaraguan government maintains the required score in the MCC's assessment scale, which measures democracy/human rights, governability/rule of law, and economic and investment openness. ALL GANG UP AGAINST POWER GIANT UNION FENOSA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶17. (SBU) All interlocutors voiced pride for their region and all shared a common dislike for power giant Union Fenosa. In exchange for exorbitant fees, Fenosa provides inadequate access to electricity and mediocre service with frequent outages that damage equipment, businessmen and officials of all political ilk complained. (Note: This perception is not unique to Leon. End Note.) LEON: DEMOGRAPHICS AND VOTING PROFILE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶18. (U) Total Population (2005 est.): Total Urban Population: Total Rural Population: Votes Received by Party, 2004 Municipal Elections PLC: 41,511 FSLN: 66,574 APRE: 5,815 PRN: 871 AC: 811 CCN: 1,972 PLI: 1,567 MSL: 144 PLN: 1,233 Votes Received by Party, 2001 National Elections PLC: 73,708 FSLN: 83,119 PC: 5,794 COMMENT - - - - ¶19. (C) Notwithstanding Leon's Sandinista proclivity, local government and university authorities appear willing to participate in U.S.-funded programs, if for no other reason than to improve regional prosperity. However, according to some, such as National Assembly Camino Cristiano Party (CCN) deputy Delia Arellano, who recently joined Montealegre's caucus, the Sandinistas are duplicitous in their engagement with the Americans in Leon (Reftel). Specifically, she alleged that the Sandinistas are disguising the benefits of the MCA-N program as FSLN-sponsored goodies to attract more support. She claims evidence of this comes from evangelical pastors in the area, who have informed her that the Sandinistas have approached them on these supposed FSLN programs to attract them to the FSLN. While we have heard these allegations before, we have yet to confirm any of them. We will facilitate a meeting with the MCC director and these evangelist leaders to clarify their assertions and to explain in more depth the compact program. TRIVELLI