FSLN TO USE PRN TO FURTHER DIVIDE LIBERALS IN 2008

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 001592 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CEN FOR SCHIFFER AND CORNFORTH, NSC FOR VALVARADO E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2017 TAGS: KDEM PGOV NU SUBJECT: FSLN TO USE PRN TO FURTHER DIVIDE LIBERALS IN 2008 REF: MANAGUA 350 Classified By: Ambassador Paul Trivelli for reason 1.4b ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Nicaraguan Resistance Party's (PRN) internal problems continue. The Supreme Electoral Counsel canceled internal PRN elections, citing irregularities and internal struggles. There is a serious rift between PRN president Salvador Talavera and vice president Julio Blandon. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) hopes to gain control of the PRN by supporting Blandon and to finance an independent PRN campaign in Nicaragua's northern departments to divide the Liberal vote. END SUMMARY. CSE Cancels PRN's Convention - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (SBU) In a June 25 meeting with Poloff, Luis Fley, Director of International Relations for the PRN, lamented that the PRN's internal problems continue to worsen (reftel). The PRN, which has tried for nearly a year to convene a party convention to elect new leadership, had their June 24 convention canceled on June 20 by the Supreme Electoral Counsel (CSE) due to irregularities and in-fighting. Although frustrated by the cancellation and the further delay in holding party elections, Fley commended the CSE for acting quickly and correctly to avert further problems. In fact, in the weeks prior to the elections, Fley asked PRN President Salvador Talavera to cancel the convention after discovering irregularities in the list of convention participants. Talavera refused. PRN Talavera Changes Convention Participants - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (C) Talavera unilaterally substituted approximately 120 of the 476 names on the convention list -- including 15 of the 17 PRN executive committee members -- with neither board nor membership approval. By doing so, he effectively removed them from their elected positions. Because convention attendees are elected party members, they cannot be replaced without a convention vote. In the weeks leading up to the election, Fley, a candidate for the PRN party presidency, had repeatedly asked Talavera for a copy of the list to review the convention attendees, but Talavera stalled. Upon seeing the changes made to the list, Fley immediately asked Talavera to delay the elections and denounced Talavera's tampering to the CSE. Vice President Holds Mini-Convention - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (SBU) In defiance of the CSE's order, PRN vice president Julio Cesar Blandon (commandant Kaliman) held a parallel convention on June 24 in which he was elected president. According to Fley, no more than a few dozen Blandon-loyalists attended, insufficient to legitimize his election. The results were further negated by the CSE's refusal to recognize the election due to their earlier letter prohibiting the PRN's convention. Fley and other PRN leaders have petitioned the CSE magistrates for a new convention date. They hope to meet with the CSE representatives this week to discuss the matter. A Story of Betrayal - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (C) Fley explained that Blandon's decision to hold a parallel convention was caused by a serious rift with Talavera, dating back to September 2006 when Talavera very publicly signed a "peace accord" with then-presidential candidate Daniel Ortega. Talavera signed this agreement without the approval of either the PRN executive committee or the membership. Expecting Talavera's treachery lay at the heart of the conflict, poloff was surprised to learn, instead, that it was a fight over the spoils of Talavera's deal. Fley stated that Talavera received six trucks, 24 motorcycles, and $180,000 to divide up between himself, Blandon, and several other PRN members. However, as the lead instigator, Talavera kept everything for himself and his family. PRN - Tool to Further Divide the Liberals - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (C) With the PRN leadership divided and Blandon looking for a way to get even with Talavera, the FSLN, reported Fley, offered to sponsor Blandon's convention to topple Talavera. Although Talavera has been an FSLN ally, Fley believes the FSLN has grown tired of Talavera's public whining about its failure to deliver on campaign promises and wants him out of the picture. In addition, Talavera angered Lenin Cerna, one of President Ortega's most trusted confidants, by breaking up with Cerna's daughter after a several-month romantic relationship in which Talavera had allegedly promised to marry her. ¶7. (C) Further, and more importantly, Fley opined that the FSLN was privately trying to buy Blandon's allegiance without ruining his public image and credibility within the PRN (the way Talavera's was ruined through his deal with Ortega). Maintaining the image of credible leadership in the PRN is critical to the FSLN, emphasized Fley, because it wants to use the PRN in Nicaragua's northern departments -- the base of the party's strength -- to compete with the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN) and Liberal Constitution Party (PLC) for Liberal votes. Fley stressed that if Blandon wins the PRN elections, the FSLN will finance an independent PRN campaign to divide the Liberal vote. Comment - - - - ¶8. (C) The PRN continues to flounder, wracked by internal bickering and financial problems. The organization's official charter expired in April of 2006, and although the CSE has yet to take any official action to close the party, the possibility looms in the background. As a political figure, Talavera has been completely discredited and has alienated himself from both the Liberal and Sandinista camps through his constant scheming. While Fley and others continue to struggle to unify the party, he is keenly aware that the PRN remains vulnerable to influence and manipulation as evidenced by the FSLN's financing of Blandon's parallel convention. As a result, Fley is desperate to convene a convention to purify the party's leadership and re-energize the bases prior to the 2008 elections. Fley assured us that most PRN leaders and members remain committed to the alliance with the ALN in 2008. TRIVELLI