President of Spain reaffirms commitment to democracy in Nicaragua

The head of the Spanish Government and president of the Socialist International (SI), Pedro Sanchez, reaffirmed on March 26th his “total and decisive” commitment and that of this organization with democracy and freedom in Nicaragua.

Sanchez expressed his full support for the democratic aspirations of Nicaraguans in his speech at the meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Committee convened in Santo Domingo to coincide with the celebration of the 28th Ibero-American Summit.

Sanchez expressed his hope that during his presidency of the SI this organization would become the grand benchmark of thought and actions of progressive policies.

To this end, he appealed to work with unity and coordination and to strengthen ties with other progressive parties that are not part of the International.

In his opinion, the socio-political turn in many Latin American countries and the arrival to power of progressive governments provide the opportunity to “open a new era” for the region.

Injustice in Nicaragua

In his review of the work done by SI since he assumed the presidency last year, Sanchez made a reference to the situation in Nicaragua.

He informed that Nicaraguans who had been deprived of their nationality and had become “stateless” have been offered citizenship by his government.

In this regard, he pointed out that Spain has taken “significant” steps together with other governments to address what he considers an injustice.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DISPATCH

Get the most prominent news about Nicaragua, every Wednesday, directly to your inbox.

Email *

Thus, he explained that numerous Nicaraguans are applying for Spanish nationality in response to the offer made by his government.

“Our commitment to democracy in Nicaragua is total and decisive,” he reiterated.

The struggle of the Socialist International

The Socialist International president urged the members of the Latin American and Caribbean Committee to work in favor of the implementation of a just, sustainable and resilient social agenda as part of the green and digital transitions both in this continent and in the rest of the world.

Sanchez took the opportunity to recall that Spain will assume the six-month presidency of the EU in the second half of this year and considered that this is “an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the bond that unites the European project with Latin America.”

“My highest political and personal commitment to lead this presidency with determination so that it will translate into tangible results for Latin America and the Caribbean,” he stressed.

The Sandinista Front, Daniel Ortega’s party, was expelled from the Socialist International in 2019 after the brutal repression of the Nicaraguan population since the beginning of the 2018 civic protest.

“The Council of the Socialist International has decided to expel the FSLN from the organization for the violations of human rights and democratic values committed by the Ortega regime in Nicaragua. Socialism is incompatible with tyranny,” the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) wrote that year.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times