Nicaragua News Service
          Published by the Nicaragua Network Education Fund
                           May 12-18, 1996
                            Vol. 4, No. 19
 
Major News Stories for the Week:
 
1. FSLN commemorates the 101st birthday of Sandino.
2. President vetoes 6% of budget for universities.
3. Political alliance of center foiled by personal ambitions.
4. Rainy season enters with a fury.
5. Pres. Chamorro travels to Canada and then Taiwan.
6. Nicas in U.S. gain victory on deportation issue.
7. Senator Helms will send mission to Nicaraguan elections.
8. Possible transportation strike in the works.
9. Nicaraguan painter a success in NY auction.
________________________________________________________________________
 
1. FSLN commemorates the 101st birthday of Sandino.
 
The electoral energies of the FSLN were released last week in the 
Managua neighborhood of San Judas, where the party celebrated the 
101st birthday of Augusto Sandino and the 70th anniversary of the 
beginning of the Sandinista struggle.  [Editor's note: In 1926, 
Sandino returned to Nicaragua from Mexico to take up arms against U.S. 
intervention in his country.]  The popular march in San Judas which 
was the opening of the FSLN campaign in Managua, was headed by 
Bayardo Arce, member of the FSLN National Directorate, Carlos 
Guadamuz, candidate for mayor of Managua, as well as candidates for 
the National Assembly Miguel Angel Casco, Emiliano Martinez, Rita 
Fletes and others.
 
Arce stated that the beginning of the FSLN campaign in Managua means 
the taking up again the struggle which allowed over 1.3 million 
students to study in the '80's compared to the 300,000 young people 
that had the right to study during the Somoza dictatorship.  Said 
Arce: "We are going to raise again the same flag that permitted the 
free health services which eradicated evils such as polio, malaria and 
measles, and which created the basis for the development of a healthy 
society." Guadamuz exhorted all Managuans to work without rest, adding
that: "The battle will not be easy, we are struggling against a 
Somocismo that wants to return to our soil after having robbed and 
massacred the Nicaraguan people."  (Barricada May 19)
 
2. President Chamorro vetoes 6% of budget for universities.
 
President Chamorro last week vetoed the latest attempt of the National 
Assembly to grant 6% of the national ordinary and extraordinary budget 
to the nation's public universities.  The leadership of the National 
Union of Nicaraguan Students (UNEN) was in meetings to devise a 
strategy to work within the National Assembly to try to get the 47 
votes necessary to override the presidential veto. 
 
The National University Council (CNU) energetically denounced the 
presidential veto calling it a "new provocation on the part of the 
executive branch which does not contribute to the necessary economic, 

social and political stability of the nation at this time."  
(Barricada, May 14; La Prensa, May 16)  
 
3. Political alliance of center made difficult by personal ambitions.
 
Last week, several political parties met for hours behind closed doors 
to try and cook up a center alliance that would guarantee a victory 
over the two strongest political contenders in the coming presidential 
election, Daniel Ortega of the FSLN and the PLC's Arnoldo Aleman.  The 
attempts, however, were fruitless.  It was impossible for the parties 
to come to an agreement on who should be the center coalition's 
presidential candidate.
 
The parties involved in the negotiations included: Conservative 
Popular Action Party (APC), Democratic Action Party (PAD), Social 
Democratic Party ((PSD), Proyecto Nacional (PRONAL), Sandinista 
Renovation Movement (MRS), Democratic Christian Union Party (UDC), and 
Unity.  
 
Miriam Arguello, the spokesperson for the groups, stated later that 
the lack of time to present candidates was the principal reason that 
they were not able to consolidate the coalition.  Another reason was 
that the parties involved have already selected their electoral 
slates.  Others present at the negotiations, however, stated that the 
major reason for the failure is that Antonio Lacayo insists on being 
the candidate for the center and will not consider any other 
possibility.
 
May 24th is the last date that a political party or coalition has to 
register its electoral candidates.  As a result of the failure to come 
to a decision as a center alternative, many of the parties, such as 
the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) have gone ahead and 
registered their candidates.  Sergio Ramirez will be, to the surprise 
of no one, the presidential candidate of that party, accompanied by 
Dr. Leonel Arguello, Jr. as his vice-presidential candidate.
 
The parties did, however, decide to have another meeting on May 27th 
to try to maintain the possibility of some type of alliance in the 
event of a run off election if no one party gets 45% of the vote on 
the first try.  Other parties, such as Fuerza '96 with candidate 
Francisco Mayorga, the revived (from 1990) UNO '96, and the Liberal 
Independent Party (PLI) have been invited to the next meeting.  
Alfredo Cesar and Roberto Teran are the candidates for the revived UNO 
party.  Virgilio Godoy is the candidate of the PLI which had decided 
not to join forces with Aleman's Liberal Constitutionalist Party 
(PLC).  There is talk that Godoy is negotiating with the 
Party of Liberal Unity of Haroldo Montealegre and with "Arriba 
Nicaragua" [Editor's note: can be translated as "Rise Up Nicaragua"] 
Party which is presently in crisis because of the accusations of 
financial wrongdoing against the party leader, Alvaro Robelo, brought 
before Italian courts.
 
At this point, the success of the coming elections in Nicaragua will 
not be measured, as some might think, by the success of the army in 
protecting public safety by controlling the armed bands in the north-
central part of Nicaragua, but possibly more on the ability of the 

average Nicaraguan to make sense out of a election ballot with 42 or 
more presidential candidates listed on it. (La Prensa, May 17)
 
4. Rainy season enters with a fury.
 
Once again, the onset of the rainy season in Managua has made it more 
than clear that the city does not have enough drainage capacity to 
avoid major flooding this rainy season.  In the first rains of the 
season, a total of 90 mm (3-3/4 in.) of rain fell.  Damage varied from 
complete flooding of houses in the Walter Ferreti neighborhood to the 
death of a 10 year old in Ciudad Sandino when a dirt wall behind his 
house gave way.  As usual, streets of Managua flooded and thousands of 
roofs leaked.
 
Nicaraguans are a little nervous about the announcements over the last 
few weeks that this rainy season will bring at least 5 hurricanes to 
Nicaraguan shores.
 
That problem, however, is not so terrifying for the majority of 
farmers, who instead are faced with the lack of credit for what is the 
official beginning of the 1996-1997 agricultural season.  David 
Robleto, head of UNICAFE, and whose name has been mentioned by several 
political parties as a possible vice-presidential candidate, stated in 
a graduation ceremony for 90 new agricultural engineers that without 
financing there will be no production and that if there is not a 
redefinition of the political and economic policies of the country in 
favor of financing and technical assistance, the Nicaraguan 
agricultural sector will not be able to progress. (Barricada, May 16, 
May 18)
 
5. Pres. Chamorro travels to Canada and then Taiwan.
 
President Violeta Chamorro joined with her Central American 
colleagues last week in meetings in Ottawa and Toronto with the Prime 
Minister of Canada, Jean Chretian.  The agenda for the presidential 
meetings included the possibility that Canada would sign a free trade 
agreement with the Central American region.  An agreement with Canada 
would pave the way to an agreement with the United States.
 
The other point on the meeting's agenda was a discussion of possible 
Canadian assistance for the implementation of the agreements of the 
Earth Summit, held in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. That summit led to the 
creation of the Alliance for Sustainable Development by the Central 
America presidents in September of 1994.
 
Chamorro left Canada at the end of the week to go to Taiwan, as a guest 
at the presidential inauguration ceremonies of that country. (La 
Prensa, May 16)
 
6. Nicas in U.S. gain victory on deportation issue.
 
The Hispanic Caucus of the US House of Representatives sent a letter 
last week to President Clinton requesting that the US government grant 
permanent resident status to the Nicaraguan immigrants living in the 
Untied States.  The letter, sent by Congress members Ed Pastor (D-AZ) 
and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), was sent to Clinton at this time 

because the temporary residency permits for thousands of Nicaraguans 
is about to expire and most of them will be threatened with 
deportation.  The Members of Congress are requesting an executive 
order which would guarantee the US residency rights of the 
Nicaraguans. (La Prensa, May 18)
 
7. Senator Helms will send mission to Nicaragua.
 
A mission organized by Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Rep. Ros-
Lehtinen will travel to Nicaragua this week to evaluate the 
development of the electoral process.  "We are going as observers to 
assure ourselves that all Nicaraguans can vote," stated Arturo 
Estopinan, a member of Ros-Lehtinen's staff.  According to the right 
wing US legislators, over 400,000 Nicaraguans will not be able to vote 
because of the armed conflict situation in 26 townships in Northern 
Nicaragua.  According to Helms and company, it is the FSLN that is 
arming the population to make sure that anti-Sandinistas can not vote.
 
Meanwhile, the head of the Nicaraguan army, General Joaquin Cuadra, 
publicly warned the rebel leader "El Charro" that he should resume 
talks with the Catholic Church because, if not, he would be seriously 
affected by the special campaigns being designed by the army to 
guarantee the October elections. There are about 400 irregular troops 
operating in the 25 municipalities where it has not been possible to 
complete the permanent voters' identification cards for the 
population. [They will be issued temporary cards.]  A special force of 
1,200 army members is being readied to protect election and campaign 
workers in this zone.  Stated Cuadra: "The coordination between the 
Army, the Police and the Electoral Council will guarantee a secure 
political process."  
 
Besides the ad hoc Helms delegation, at least three other US 
organizations have signed up to be electoral observers of the coming 
elections. Those organizations include: the International Republican 
Institute, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the 
International Democratic Institute. The OAS has also designated eight 
observers and it is also expected that former president Jimmy Carter 
will also participate with his Carter Center as an observer. (La 
Prensa, May 15, 16, 18)
 
8. Possible transportation strike in the works.
 
Transportation workers and gasoline station owners are talking about a 
national transportation strike if the government does not agree to 
lower the tax rate on the sale of gasoline, which has made the price 
of gasoline in the country the highest in Central America. The two 
sectors have been negotiating with the National Assembly which next 
week will discuss a new bill in which the tax on a gallon of gasoline 
will be reduced from $1.21 to 72 cents.  This would make the price of 
gasoline equivalent to the price in the rest of the region. The bill 
is being introduced by Carlos Gallo, Mauricio Valenzuela and Carlos 
Zamora. The president of the Association of Gasoline Distributors 
stated that the coming strike could be avoided if the Assembly passes 
the bill.
 
The government, on the other hand, has stated that the concerns of the 

transport sector with regard to the price of gasoline are not valid 
since most of the fuel used for public and freight transport is 
diesel, the price of which is basically the same in Nicaragua as in 
the rest of the region. 
 
Meanwhile, last week, the first anniversary memorial Mass for those 
killed by the police in the last transportation strike was held in the 
city of Managua. (La Prensa, May 18)
 
9. Nicaraguan painter a success in New York auction.
 
The paintings of the Nicaraguan artist Armando Morales were the works 
that sold best at a recent Latin American art auction at Christies 
auction house in New York City. One of his still-life paintings, 
"Nature Morte: Quatre Pommes, Poire, Bouteille, Entonoir," painted in 
1989, brought a price of $342,000.
 
Morales is considered to be one of the best Central American painters 
alive today and is well-known in Nicaragua and the world for his 
painting of General Augusto C. Sandino and his generals painted for 
the 25th anniversary of the FSLN.  (Barricada, May 16)