PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Nicaragua quits ‘diabolical’ regional bloc OAS after election row

Nicaragua quits ‘diabolical’ regional bloc OAS after election row

The regional bloc was among several international organisations that slammed the 2021 re-election of President Daniel Ortega.

Nicaragua has said it has completed its withdrawal from the Organization of American States (OAS) despite the regional bloc saying the move was not allowed for another year.

Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada announced on Sunday the immediate break from the organisation and the closure of the OAS’s offices in the capital, Managua.

President Daniel Ortega had announced the Latin American country’s withdrawal in November last year. That came after the OAS criticised the fairness of elections that saw Ortega win a fourth consecutive term amid a months-long crackdown on opposition figures.

The OAS had said the withdrawal could not go into effect until 2023 because Nicaragua was an active member at the time of the announcement.

Still, Moncada said that as of Sunday, Nicaragua was no longer part “of all the deceitful mechanisms of this monstrosity, the so-called Permanent Council, so-called commissions, so-called meetings, so-called Summit of the Americas”.


“We will not take part in any of the entities of this diabolical instrument of evil called the OAS,” he added.

In a statement, the OAS said Nicaragua remained a “full member and must comply with all its commitments” until the end of its current membership period. It called on Managua to “respect” its relationship with the bloc, which was formed in 1948 and has focused for decades on election integrity across the Americas.

For its part, regional neighbour Venezuela – which officially withdrew from OAS in 2020 – quickly hailed Nicaragua’s resignation as “courageous”, calling the body “an instrument of US imperialism”.

Frayed relations


Relations between Nicaragua and the OAS have been increasingly fraught in recent years.

In 2016, the organisation sent a mostly unsuccessful mission to Nicaragua to mediate amid opposition accusations of fraud in that year’s election, which saw Ortega win his third consecutive term as president, with his wife Rosario Murillo becoming vice president.

However, a year later, the OAS and Managua signed an agreement to implement changes in the electoral system. That was derailed in 2018, when widespread anti-government protests were met with a violent crackdown in which 355 people were killed, hundreds arrested and thousands exiled, according to the OAS’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.


Ortega repeatedly denied OAS representatives’ entry to Nicaragua to investigate the protests and subsequent crackdown, alleging they were interfering in an internal matter.

In March, Nicaragua’s then-permanent representative to the OAS Arturo McFields surprised a session of the Permanent Council by denouncing Ortega’s government as a “dictatorship”.

In an interview with the AFP news agency, McFields said he “can’t understand the government’s motivation” in abruptly completing their withdrawal, but noted it came a month after his speech.

By closing the OAS offices in the country, he said, “the government is closing a door to peace”.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×