VZCZCXYZ0023
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #0430/01 0552111
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 242111Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5386
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0548
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000430 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2016 
TAGS: KDEM NU PGOV PINR PREL KCOR
SUBJECT: DANIELISTAS RIG COURT RULING TO FACILITATE 
ELECTORAL COMMISSION COUP 
 
REF: A) MANAGUA 0304 B) MANAGUA 0281 C) 2005 MANAGUA 
     3118 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Paul A. Trivelli. Reasons 1.4 (B,D). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  Embassy is encouraging non-Sandinista 
(FSLN) parties to protest recent Supreme Electoral Council 
(CSE) and the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber 
decisions enabling CSE president Roberto Rivas to replace two 
of the CSE's PLC magistrates with the substitutes of his 
choice, thereby consolidating the FSLN's dominance over the 
electoral body.  OAS technical advisers are refraining from a 
statement at this time, noting the OAS COM Gustavo Fernandez 
enjoys the mandate to do this, but are welcoming written 
complaints.  Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC), Camino 
Cristiano, APRE, and Herty Alliance militants have held a 
joint press conference announcing they will submit to the 
National Assembly a new law interpreting certain Electoral 
Law articles.  For political reasons, Eduardo Montealegre's 
ALN-PC caucus may present its own statement and support the 
draft law.  The Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN) has joined the 
public outcry, accusing the Sandinistas of seeking total 
hegemony over the CSE.  This crisis is one of the first of 
many we can expect to surface over the next ten months and is 
likely part of the Sandinista strategy to upset and confuse 
the electoral process and distract the National Assembly for 
more substantive endeavors.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Embassy is encouraging non-FSLN parties to protest 
recent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) and the Supreme 
Court's constitutional chamber decisions enabling CSE 
president Roberto Rivas to replace two of the CSE's PLC 
magistrates with the substitutes of his choice, thereby 
consolidating the FSLN's dominance over the electoral body. 
On February 21, DCM and polcouns urged Jose Antonio Alvarado, 
who is affiliated with the Alianza por la Republica (APRE) 
party, to protest these CSE/court machinations; Alvarado and 
APRE President Miguel Lopez Baldizon have both publicly done 
so.  Polcouns broached the matter with Eduardo 
Montealegre/ALN-PC supporter Vilma Rosa Leon-York the same 
day.  While agreeing that this is yet another Sandinista 
maneuver, she noted that the fact the court ruling also 
legitimizes the ALN-PC's party name change and emblem changes 
makes it difficult for the party to challenge this court 
ruling (a FSLN tactic to discourage Montealegre from 
protesting). 
 
¶3.  (C) On February 22, polcouns talked with Assembly Deputy, 
Reverend Guillermo Osorno (Camino Cristiano), who reported 
that all non-Sandinista parties would convene February 23 at 
10 AM to agree on a joint position and announce it at a press 
conference following the meeting.  Osorno shared that Orlando 
Tardencilla's (Herty Lewites supporter) National Assembly 
substitute, Oscar Carrion, is the drafter of the joint 
position.  Osorno explained that the group intends to file an 
appeal (recurso de amparo) with the Appellate court 
questioning the legality of the ruling (the PLC has already 
filed its own recurso de amparo).   He was responsive to 
Polcouns' suggestion that their group send the joint 
statement to the OAS for its consideration.  According to 
Osorno, while there is some debate over the legality of the 
designation of CSE substitutes, there is no doubt that the 
Supreme Court's constitutional division violated the law by 
deliberately excluding PLC constitutional chamber justices 
from its deliberations whi 
le including an external judge to rule in favor of Rivas. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Polcouns later talked to Oscar Carrion, who 
asserted the following: 
 
--Article 6 of the Electoral Law allows each magistrate to 
designate his/her substitute to represent him/her as needed. 
This authority is not/not accorded to the CSE president. 
Contrary to what OAS lawyers believe, Carrion said Article 12 
of the Electoral law does not accord Rivas this authority. 
 
--The constitutional chamber's use of external justices is in 
violation of the law. 
 
--While the CSE was pressured to reinstate Electoral Law 
articles 41 and 116, it has modified article 41 to limit a 
voter's ability to vote.  Voters who appear on a list that 
notes they have requested to change their voting station 
(JRV) will not/not be allowed to vote elsewhere. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Later the same day, DCM talked with Patricio 
 
Gajardo, who reiterated the OAS is not in position to insert 
itself at this moment, partially because COM Gustavo 
Fernandez is away until next week and is the only one 
authorized to speak for the OAS team.  Further, they have not 
received any official complaint or request to intervene on 
the part of the PLC and other parties.  Gajardo pointed out 
that the PLC erred by allowing CSE president Rivas to appoint 
the substitutes because it permitted him to corral the five 
votes necessary to re-elect himself and Lang.  The OAS team 
is now examining all related legal/constitutional issues, and 
will specifically scrutinize the question of whether, if the 
CSJ decision is overturned, such a revocation nullifies 
decisions made by the stacked CSE (it probably will). 
(Comment: Embassy believes that it would be helpful to have 
USOAS urge Biehl, Fernandez, et al, to engage on this issue 
once they have the Carrion position paper and legal analysis 
in hand to expose the 
manipulation and one-party control of the CSE.) 
 
¶6.  (C) As expected, representatives from the PLC, Camino 
Cristiano, APRE, and the Herty Alliance convened on February 
23 and held a joint press conference.  Carrion informed 
polcouns that the group did not issue a joint written 
statement, but they did make the following points: 
 
--The parties/caucuses will draft and submit to the National 
Assembly secretary next week a new law interpreting Electoral 
Law Article 6 regarding the substitution of CSE magistrates 
(Carrion faxed us a draft copy on February 24); 
 
--Parties represented in the meeting will participate in the 
Atlantic Coast election but under protest; 
 
--They invite two representatives from Eduardo Montealegre's 
caucus/alliance to future meetings; and, 
 
--Next week they will submit letters to the OAS, embassies, 
and other entities with their common position. 
 
Where Does Montealegre Stand? 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶7.  (C) Carrion claimed that Montealegre adviser Eliseo Nunez 
had declined to participate in previous meeting; however, 
Carrion asserted he heard from other Montealegre supporters 
that this absence does not represent Montealegre's opinion. 
Carrion shared that he later approached ALN-PC caucus chair 
Maria Eugenia Sequeira, who he said agreed to "consider" the 
invitation.  Following this conversation, polcouns contacted 
Sequeira, who clarified that personally she will not 
participate in any effort that is clearly dominated by 
Arnoldo Aleman and the PLC/PC.  "The PLC and Aleman are the 
ones that are most responsible for this disaster.  If it 
weren't for the (Aleman-Ortega) pact, this wouldn't have 
happened," exclaimed Sequeira.  Today the Aleman is battling 
Ortega; tomorrow they will renew their pact, she claimed. 
 
¶8.  (C) Sequeira did not discard the possibility that other 
ALN-PC representatives might participate in the joint effort. 
 However, she believes the ALN-PC is more likely to issue its 
own statement, while supporting the draft law when it is 
presented to the Assembly.  Too close an association with the 
PLC at this time could ruin Montealegre's image and send the 
wrong message to his supporters, explained Sequeira. 
Montealegre confirmed to DCM the evening of February 23 that 
he would make it clear in a television appearance the 
following morning that he and the ALN-PC were against the 
FLSN power-play and blatant partisan manipulation of the CSE. 
 In a February 24 press conference, Montealegre rejected the 
court/CSE machinations, called on all CSE magistrates to get 
back to work, sign an OAS-witnessed agreement to maintain 
quorum through the electoral period, and make CSE sessions 
public. 
 
The Movimiento Joins the Voices of Protest 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶9.  (U) In a widely televised February 23 press conference, 
the Movimiento por Nicaragua (MpN), joined the public outcry. 
 MpN member Rosa Maria Zelaya (ex-Sandinista, former CSE 
magistrate) called for the resignation of the CSE board, 
noting the magistrates have lost all legitimacy.  MpN 
affiliate/reformed Sandinista, Carlos Tunnerman  asserted 
that the Atlantic Coast election will be seriously flawed and 
the November election is in serious danger.  These latest 
maneuvers have allowed Daniel Ortega to assume total control 
 
of the electoral body and are a result of the nefarious 
Ortega-Aleman pact, warned Tunnerman.  The MpN also issued 
its own statement, rejecting the CSE's conduct and 
organization vis a vis the Atlantic Coast elections and 
rejecting the Constitutional Chamber's ruling and Rivas' 
appointment of CSE substitutes in a manner violating the 
Electoral Law. 
 
Comment 
- - - - 
 
¶10.  (C) This crisis is one of the first of many we can 
expect to surface over the next ten months and is likely part 
of the Sandinista strategy to upset and confuse the electoral 
process and distract the National Assembly from more 
substantive pursuits.  Ironically, the FSLN's clearly devious 
antics could foster rapprochement among Nicaragua's divided 
democratic forces who are now confronting a common adversary, 
Ortega.  Embassy will continue to encourage Montealegre and 
his supporters to participate in this effort. 
TRIVELLI