Ortega signs ALBA on first day of his five-year term as President of Nicaragua
January 17, 2006
At 6pm on Jan. 10 Daniel Ortega Saavedra was sworn in as President of Nicaragua at a ceremony attended by thousands of public officials, diplomats, statesmen and journalists from all over the world. It was the moment for which Sandinista party (FSLN) supporters had been waiting for over a decade, and a moment that many political leaders and analysts both within and without Nicaragua had thought would never happen.
The official ceremony started almost two hours late because Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who himself had been sworn in for a third term in office that morning, was delayed.
Security at the event was provided by 7,000 police officers and soldiers, an unprecedented number of public security officials for a political event in Nicaragua ’s recent history.
After receiving the presidential sash and swearing in his cabinet Ortega left the Omar Torrijos Non-Aligned Nations Plaza for the nearby John Paul II Plaza of Faith where 3-400,000 supporters awaited him, eager to hear his first presidential address. Over 500 buses had brought FSLN supporters to Managua that morning from all over Nicaragua .
Ortega was accompanied on stage by Chávez, Bolivian President Evo Morales, Cuban Vice President José Ramon Machado and several members of his cabinet. Chávez spoke first to the elated crowd saying “I have come to Nicaragua today, my heart overflowing with joy.” After shorter speeches from Morales and Machado, Ortega addressed the crowd promising to work with the poor majority to reduce poverty, combat corruption and maintain national unity. “This presidential sash belongs to the peasants, workers, women and young people,” said Ortega.
On Jan. 11 Ortega, Chávez, Morales and Machado took part in a ceremony to celebrate Nicaragua’s allegiance to the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the trade agreement set up by the Venezuelan and Cuban governments in 2005 as an alternative to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (known in Latin America as ALCA from its initials in Spanish) promoted by the US. The event, which was attended by FSLN party members and supporters, took place at the Rubén Darío National Theatre. Nicaragua is the fourth country to sign the ALBA ( Bolivia signed in 2006).
According to Ortega, the ALBA “represents the American peoples’ aspirations of independence” and their rejection of the neoliberal policies, promoted by the US, which have created a “social emergency” in Nicaragua and across Latin America by denying access to education, healthcare and employment.
After the ceremony Chávez and Ortega held a meeting at which they signed a number of bilateral agreements between Venezuela and Nicaragua. In total Chávez has promised US$600 million of financial aid a year to Nicaragua. Currently Nicaragua receives between US$300 and 400 million a year in financial aid from the international community. The money from Venezuela will be used for social programs which aim to reduce poverty, provide housing for poor families, improve the health and education systems and strengthen the Nicaraguan economy by improving basic infrastructure such as roads, ports, airports and the energy sector. Venezuelan Ambassador in Managua Miguel Gómez also confirmed that the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank (BANDES) will open a branch in Managua in the near future.
(El Nuevo Diario, 01/10, 01/11, 01/12, La Prensa, 01/11, 01/12, La Primerísima, 01/10, 01/11, Radio Ya! , 01/10)