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Thousands of supporters of the government of Nicaragua commemorated the 39th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution in Managua on Thursday in the presence of the president Daniel Ortega whose government repressed the protests three months, they demanded his departure from power and left more than 350 dead.
The crowd gathered at La Plaza La Fe, an esplanade on the promenade of Managua, dyed in red and black, in the colors of the Sandinista flag, before a large stage where Ortega and his wife and vice -President, Rosario Murillo, led the celebration with guests of the Diplomatic Corps and State powers.
Unlike in other years, on this occasion Ortega was accompanied by no head of state in the celebration of the revolution that overthrew the 19 July 1979 the dictator Anastasio Somoza.
They did not attend this year two recurring characters in the celebration, the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, and the Nobel Peace Prize Rigoberta Menchú.
The elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, Ecuadorian María Fernanda Espinosa, did not participate either. Last year, he expressed his support for the government of Ortega .
First Lady and Vice President of Nicaragua Rosario Murillo, thanked "in a special way" the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio Stanislaw Waldemar Sommertag, who was physically assaulted on July 9 by supporters of Ortega .
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and his counterpart also attended the event. Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza
Representatives of Antigua, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, Korea, Cuba, El Salvador, Spain, Spain Iran, Palestine, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Russia and the Grenadines, Taiwan and Venezuela were present at the event, said Murillo
The special guests were accompanied on the pier by hundreds of young Sandinistas, dressed in white and red and black scarves, colors of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. (FSLN)
Sandinista sympathizers arrived with families, including children, from different parts of the capital with red and black flags, caps and scarves, wearing t-shirts with the image from Ortega or slogans that said "Pure Love", in reference to the messages of "peace and love" that the government launched in the midst of the crisis of demonstrations.
"It does not go away, no, it stays" chanted the crowd, Some songs danced that extol the Sandinista leader, with refrains like "Even if it hurts, Daniel remains."
"We have just confirmed once again that people support Daniel and that the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) is Alina Manzanares, 51, told AFP:" The President remains because & # 39; He has the majority. The right is funded by the United States to bounce back the revolution that cost us, and this revolution will not fall like that, "said Edith Hernandez, 66.
Commemoration takes place Two days after the government took control of the rebel town of Masaya, the last stronghold controlled by its opponents, after a violent six-hour confrontation that killed at least two people, according to a human rights body
Control at Masaya encouraged the ruling party, although the climate of violence that the country has experienced since April 18, when the protests erupted, seemed to tarnish the Sandinista party
– D & # 39; others not celebrating –
The settlers used to travel by caravan to Managua on July 19, the families returned to their homes, while the paramilitaries who occupied the city danced to the sound of Sandinist music [19659017] Do we celebrate something today? We are bad, poor, dear, there are no people on the streets. What happened in the country is horrible, "said AFP Petrona Amador, an 82-year-old Managua retiree
" She was celebrated with great joy, but this government has massacred, killed, taken people, "said taxi driver and ex-military Gerardo
In recent weeks, the government of Ortega toughened the crackdown on opponents blocking roads and controlled cities until they forcibly expel their opponents
For the independent sociologist Melvin Sotelo, the government's victory over the protesters was at the expense of the fundamental rights of the Nicaraguan people.
"He did it by drowning the right of the people to protest in the government's repudiation. It does not allow to exercise the right of Nicaraguans to organize, elect freely their authorities, to close all spaces and political possibilities "of participation, said Sotelo to AFP
– The price of triumph –
Sotelo estimated that Ortega .
"The president, politically and morally, has lost much. It's a war of a supposed state to protect people's lives against a helpless population. What created, it is the rejection in the population, "said the sociologist.
In addition, he confronted the president with the Catholic Church of Nicaragua whose leaders have become the main voices of criticism.the population before the repression of government forces, while they mediate in the dialogue between the government and its opponents.
This dialogue has not prospered , mainly because of Ortega's refusal to accept the proposal of the Catholic Bishops to advance the elections from 2021 to 2019, to accelerate his exit from power.
– Revolutionary Leader –
L & # Daniel Ortega is far from the figure that emerged from the Sandinista revolution of 1979, when he led the guerrilla movement that liberated Nicaragua from the Somoza dynasty
After leaving power to to the electoral process in 1990, Ortega returned to the presidency He was elected by the polls in 2007 and since then he has been re-elected twice, the last one in 2016, with his wife Murillo as vice -President.
Ally of the businessmen, Ortega sparked criticism of the state powers: the parliament, the judiciary and the electoral court
Its detractors l & # 39; Accuse to form, with his wife, a regime marked by nepotism and authoritarianism.
Protests against the government They broke out three months ago in opposition to a social security reform, but the repression made them spread to become a vast movement that required the ousting of Ortega .
Source: AFP / EFE
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