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The President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, said Saturday that he was not prepared to hold general elections and that those who seek his resignation should abide by the laws that allow him to stay in office until 2021.
"Here the rules are set by the Constitution of the Republic through the people, the rules can not change them overnight because they are appeared to a group of putschists, "Ortega told a crowd of fans and state employees who participated in a" march for peace "in the capital, Managua.
Ortega, who appeared thinner than the last time he appeared in public on May 30, blamed his opponents for the deaths since the protests began in April. According to human rights groups, more than 250 people, mostly young students shot by police and paramilitaries, lost their lives during this period.
"If the putschists want to reach the government, they should ask the people's vote," the president insisted, referring to the movements led by the students who demanded his removal from power. The dissidents accuse Ortega of trying to establish a dictatorship marked by corruption and nepotism with his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
The Managua law replaced the historic "El Repliegue" march of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front in Masaya, 28 kilometers south-east of Managua, as a military strategy against the Somoza dictatorship. After 38 consecutive years of celebration, this year it has not been possible to repeat it since this city was revealed against Ortega. "We will see if people will give the vote to the coup leaders who caused so much destruction during these weeks, there will be time for the elections," said Ortega.
"The sowers of the tares are planning terrorist tactics to murder their Nicaraguan brothers," the 72-year-old said, describing them as "vandals" and "criminal gangs".
The crisis in Nicaragua began with a student protest on April 18 and worsened after the violent crackdown on police and paramilitaries against civilian protesters.
While Ortega was delivering his speech in the capital, repression continued in the cities of the north and center of the country through what the government and its supporters called the "caravan of peace," which violently expels traffic jams that paralyzed much of the country's roads.
On Saturday, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announced the release by international mediation of 11 detainees as part of social protests in Nicaragua.
. On Friday, the United States issued a travel alert, urging Americans to reconsider their trip to Nicaragua "due to crimes, civil unrest and limited availability of medical care". [19659014] ARCHIVE – A riot police officer from Nicaragua monitors the building of the United States Embbady in Managua, February 28, 2003. REUTERS / Oswaldo Rivas "src =" https://gdb.voanews.com /4A6C25EC-7A24-410A-B5DA-82DF51CFA52B_w250_r0_s.jpg "/>
