On Tuesday, The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, took office for the fourth time. This time, his wife Rosario Murillo is the vice president, he has parliamentary hegemony and he is unhindered to push his agenda.
Ortega will rule until 2022 with the backing of 71 of 92 legislators in the parliament, led by former Sandinista union leader, Gustavo Porras.
Today we continue all the good things we have done to correct what has gone wrong, and moving forward with permanent dialogue, partnership and consensus with employers, workers and local governments to fight poverty,”
said Murillo in her daily message to official media.
Some observers believe that the new term will be the same as Ortega’s 10 years in power.
It will be more of the same (…) all that has happened until 2016: a monologue, lies about projects they say they have done, fantasy, migration of people who do not want to get into trouble,”
told AFP sociologist, Cirilo Otero, from the Center for Environmental Policies and Initiatives (CIPA).
Murillo’s inauguration as vice president is unprecedented in Nicaragua and Ortega’s opponents fear it is a step towards the establishment of a family dictatorship.
Ortega renewed its mandate in a disputed election held on November 6th without observers and after eliminating his opponents with court rulings.
The main opposition movements do not recognize the results of November’s elections and promise to intensify their fight in the streets and take complaints to the international community to demand changes in the political system and new elections.
With his third consecutive election since 2007, Ortega, 71, becomes the longest ruler to hold power in Nicaragua.
His first step as head of government was in 1979, when a popular uprising overthrew the dictatorship of the Somoza family. He handed the power 10 years after to Violeta Barrios, who won the 1989 elections.