As of this Monday, Costa Rica maintains only consular representation in Nicaragua. The Lutheran pastor Carlos Bonilla, who had been in charge of the embassy since August, welcomed his retirement.
Bonilla Avendaño, close friend of the controversial former Minister of the Presidency, Melvin Jiménez, had been appointed as acting manager since August 1st, after the departure of former ambassador Eduardo Trejos. After his retirement, Costa Rica was left without diplomatic representation before the government of Daniel Ortega and now it only has consular representation through Consul General Óscar Camacho.
At this time, the Foreign Ministry has not reported whether Camacho would take over as manager due to Bonilla’s sudden retirement and the absence of an ambassador.
Since August, after pressure from the opposition in Congress and recommendations from diplomats, the government of Carlos Alvarado gave up on requesting approval for a new ambassador in Nicaragua.
The humanitarian and political crisis in Nicaragua, as well as accusations of alleged conspiracy in Costa Rica made the Executive Power reconsider its position about sending a new ambassador to the neighboring nation, even though it was already shuffling several names for the position, such as former Minister of Communication, Mauricio Herrera, and the Vice Minister of Internal Affairs, Carmen Muñoz; both with diplomatic experience.