U.S. 'Meddling' In Nicaraguan Election

A chorus line of U.S. officials have publicly urged voters to shun Ortega.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez recently warned that a Sandinista victory could scare away foreign investors and put Nicaragua's participation in the Central American Free Trade Agreement at risk. Last week, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., urged the Homeland Security Department to block the $500 million in annual remittances sent home by Nicaraguans in the U.S. should Ortega emerge victorious.

Electoral monitors from the Organization of American States have repeatedly urged U.S. officials to stop meddling in the election.

"Ortega is like their worst nightmare coming back. So there's no effort to even pretend to be neutral," Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington said.

The above paragraphs are taken from an article in the Houston Chronicle written by John Otis and Tim Rogers.

It looks like Sandinista leader, Daniel Ortega, has an excellent chance of returning to power as president of Nicaragua. Ortega has been out of power for several years, after having been defeated in the last three elections. But this year is different.

This year, opposition to the left-wing Sandinistas has split, and Ortega faces two opponents rather than one. His opponents are dividing the anti-Sandinista vote. If Ortega can avoid a runoff, he stands a good chance of being elected.

To avoid a runoff in Nicaragua, the candidate with the most votes must either:
a) get 40% of the total vote, or
b) get 35% of the vote and be at least 5% ahead of the second place finisher.

The election in Nicaragua is today [Sunday], and polls are showing Ortega has a real chance to win. This has upset Bush and his cronies, so they have been interfering in the election, trying to scare voters away from Ortega. After all, Nicaragua is one of the few remaining Central or South American countries without a left-wing leader.

Of course, these same people who feel free to interfere in Nicaragua's election, would be horrified if another country tried to interfere in our election. They are worse than hypocrites. They seem to think that being American gives them the right to tell others what they should do. This is nothing more than a modern form of colonialism. We need to stop it.

All countries have the right to make their own decisions about government and leadership, without interference from foreign powers. Being American doesn't give us the right or the knowledge to determine what is best for another country.