How the Sandinistas live in the crisis in Nicaragua Daniel Ortega: Today, 39 years after taking office, he has been re-elected for a third term as President of Nicaragua

"In the quarter the Sandino Memorial, the streets were dirty, the summer was pure dust and in winter a mud. but our revolutionary government has improved the situation, and even traffic signals have put us in a better position to live, "says Juana Izaguirre.

"I am a Sandinist by conviction since my childhood", the government has made good plans.

Izaguirre, a social promoter, depicts a segment of the population of Nicaragua who remains loyal to the Fren and President Daniel Ortega, who emerged on July 19, 1979 as the leader of the group. a popular uprising that toppled the dictator of then Anastasio Somoza.

Today, 39 years later, Ortega has chained a new 11-year cycle in the government, amid a wave of protests violently repressed three months ago. by government forces, with a record 280 dead.

The district of the Sandino Memorial, whose main entrance is a metallic silhouette of the hat of the nationalist hero Augusto Sandino, lies to the southeast of Managua and bounded by two circular roads.

] Ortega returned to power in 2007 with generous Venezuelan assistance estimated at $ 500 million a year, with which he pushed social plans for houses, streets, power grids, bus subsidies, and expanded spreadsheet

"Not like that"

"El comandante", as its supporters call it, "helped us out of poverty, our country was badly treated" Ortega, A 72-year-old guerrilla fighter faces a deep political crisis that erupted on April 18 over a bankrupt reformer in the social security system who, after the death of protesters by government repression, led at the request of their early departure from power.

The violent repression of the protests has left, in addition to the dead, nearly 2,000 wounded and the convictions of many countries calling for the end of the repression. But Ortega still has 30% support, according to a survey conducted in May by the company Cid Gallup.

Cristina Osejo, 54, owner of a cocktail bar at Salvador Allende Port of Managua, one of the tourist jewelry built

"If people put the president, people have to take it but not in this way, killing everyone, "he said, criticizing the protests. Impact of the crisis

The polarization experienced by the country has affected Sandinism, which has seen the destruction of its symbols, such as the burning of its red and black flag on public squares, or the demolition of the city. Tree of life.

Cities like Masaya, Leon, Estelí, Matagalpa and the eastern districts of Managua, once the fiefs of the struggle against the dictatorship of Somoza, came in the form of a tree symbolizing the power of the vice president , Rosario Murillo.

The president, who calls for protest at a coup attempt, launched an offensive to "free cities" from blockades, which covered 70 percent of the country's roads in early July.

] "We are moving forward in the liberation of our territory … we are assuming as a government the reconstruction of peace that they wanted us to take.It is a huge challenge, and we are confident that we will succeed, "said Murillo

. Venezuelan aid and an agreement with large capital have allowed Ortega to govern until now without stumbling with social programs that have brought him popular support.

His opponents criticize him for corruption and nepotism in his government, but for followers like Izaguirre, they are "inventions" of the right. She defended without hesitation "our government".

For her, the accusations of repression against protesters using combined police forces and hooded paramilitaries are an opposition lie because "the only ones who shoot are these few gangs and thieves"

"We do not work in peace "

Small and large businesses have closed their doors affected by the crisis and the government has changed its projection of economic growth for this year from 4.9% to 1%.

However, Independent analysts estimate that if the crisis continues, the economy will decline by 5.4% and more than 200,000 jobs will be lost.

"We pray that Christ will calm down, for me this will not happen." is not true (the protests) because we all suffer, we do not work in peace, I stopped to win in several fairs, "the temporary street markets, complained Osejo

" These children (students ) do not know the war. I experienced the war when Somoza and our parents put us in a hole because the planes were bombing. The poor are the ones who suffer. "