Nicaragua officially asked, Friday, November 19, to leave the Organization of American States after criticism of the OAS on the “Legitimacy” the November 7 election which saw President Daniel Ortega reelected for a fourth consecutive term.
“I am writing to officially notify you of our unwavering decision to denounce the OAS Charter, in accordance with article 143, which initiates the final withdrawal and resignation of Nicaragua from this organization”, is it written in a letter signed by the Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Denis Moncada, and addressed to the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro.
Article 143 of the OAS Charter allows a state to withdraw from the organization after a two-year procedure, during which time the country must respect its obligations towards the organization.
In this letter, a copy of which was sent to the media, the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that he was acting on the instructions of President Ortega.
Serious harm
“We feel happy, proud because today we have set a new example of our condition as sovereign people” by renouncing “This unacceptable and fallacious organization which does not represent us at all”, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, wife of Daniel Ortega, told official media.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez for his part welcomed Nicaragua’s decision on his Twitter account, “Which constitutes a firm and dignified response to the maneuvers of the secretary general of this organization, in collusion with the United States, in an attempt to interfere in the decisions which concern the Nicaraguan people”.
Daniel Ortega, in power since 2007 after ruling the country from 1979 to 1990, was re-elected on November 7 for a fourth consecutive presidential term. The ballot was the target of severe criticism from the international community, not least due to the absence of any serious opponents, with seven potential candidates having been arrested in the six months before the election.
Relatives of the 39 opponents arrested ahead of the poll said in a statement on Friday that they were suffering from serious “Physical and psychological harm” because of their conditions of detention, in a high security prison in Managua. According to them, they continue to lose weight, lack a “Regular access to daylight”, some being locked in cells where the lights are on permanently while others remain in the dark.
The OAS General Assembly declared on November 12 that the Nicaraguan elections “Were neither free, nor fair, nor transparent and have no democratic legitimacy”, paving the way for a possible suspension of Nicaragua.
Isolation
The exit from the OAS will further isolate Nicaragua, whose leaders are subject to international sanctions. Access to US territory is now prohibited for President Ortega, his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, their ministers and other senior regime officials.
On November 16, Parliament, where Daniel Ortega holds an overwhelming majority, asked the head of state to remove his country from the OAS. The request to withdraw from the OAS followed “To the repeated actions of interference by the OAS in the internal affairs of Nicaragua”, said the President of Parliament Gustavo Porras.
A similar process began in Venezuela in 2017, after the OAS threatened the country with suspension for violating the constitutional order.