Sergio Ramírez at El País on how Daniel Ortega is taking Nicaragua towards dictatorship (link in Spanish).
After 9 years of Ortega in power,
48% of the population subsists on less than $2 a day, and in that group, half subsists on less than $1 a day. Nicaragua’s on the bottom three of the Latin American misery index, along with Haiti and Honduras.
Coming elections?
Ortega, or his wife, will win the 2017 presidential elections.
But family Governments always end up as big political disasters. Tensions will turn up and increase as hopes in Ortega’s populist rhetoric wear out, particularly since Venezuela’s aide comes to and end as that country faces plummeting oil prices, shortages, inflation, and a swelling short-term foreign debt.
Ramírez is deeply pessimistic about the proposed Nicaragua Canal, too. He accuses Ortega of turning over the defense of Nicaragua’s national sovereignty to Wang Jing and the Chinese
Another breaking point will be the failure of the canal project, now seen as a huge hope, which will become a cause for frustration once it is proven to be a merciless lie.
By which time, Ortega will be rich enough to live in impunity.
By which time, Ortega will be rich enough to live in impunity.
which was the goal all along
He’s even had up-front money from a $300million sweet deal.