Jaime Morales, the vice-president of Nicaragua, publicly opposed the slow and steady attempts of President Daniel Ortega to seek the constitutional changes necessary for consecutive reelection. "Re-elections have spawned dictatorships, tyrannies, confrontations and civil war," he told reporters yesterday in Managua.Morales' remarks on the matter, which he has made to a lesser extent over the past several weeks, represent the highest-level public opposition to Ortega's power moves that many thought would go relatively unimpeded given that Ortega's allies within the Sandinistas and PLC effectively dominate the legislature and judiciary. Remarkably, it comes from within Ortega's own ranks, though Morales is far from an Ortega loyalist.
Morales is a former leader of the PLC which joined ranks with the rival Sandinista party prior to Ortega's victory in 2006 after the "unholy alliance" formed between the two at-odds groups thanks to back-room dealings between Ortega and Former President Aleman. Aleman, who only recently was released from house arrest by Ortega, has suggested that he wil be seeking a return to politics himself. Thus, it may not be terribly surprising to see Morales make these statements so publicly, as a strategic shift in PLC allegiance to Aleman or another PLC candidate (perhaps Morales himself) is already well under way.
It will be interesting to monitor how Morales behaves himself; such comments are not ones made lightly, or only once. It will also be interesting to see how Ortega -- not known for his high tolerance of critics within his circle -- responds to Morales overtures. He is unlikely to heed Morales' suggestions, of course, so look for either Morales to step down sooner than later, or for Ortega to force him to moderate his remarks on the matter.
Sources: El Nuevo Diario, La Prensa, Reuters, Wikipedia
