VZCZCXYZ0009
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #1507/01 1912017
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 102017Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6922
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 001507 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2016 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM NU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR ENCOURAGES MONTEALEGRE TO FOCUS ON 
CAMPAIGN AND PARTY ORGANIZATION 
 
REF: MANAGUA 1482 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Paul Trivelli for reasons 1.4 (b and d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Ambassador, emboffs, and local IRI Director 
Gilberto Valdez met with ALN presidential candidate Eduardo 
Montealegre on July 7 to express concern that ALN officials 
are not sufficiently focused on the campaign and encourage 
him to organize the senior leadership of the party. 
Montealegre agreed, informing us that the ALN will announce 
its leadership slate on July 17.  He also discussed the 
party's financial situation, claiming that the Nicaraguan 
private sector is still not supporting him fully, despite its 
promises.  Montealegre sought Ambassador's help in convincing 
PLC presidential candidate Jose Rizo to resign his position 
and join the ALN to unite the Liberal bloc.  Montealegre 
believes that the new MRS formula may attract additional core 
Sandinista votes, even though MRS presidential candidate 
Edmundo Jarquin is not as charismatic as Herty Lewites 
because the new VP candidate Carlos Mejia Godoy is very 
popular.  End Summary. 
 
MONTEALEGRE WILL WORK ON ALN UNITY 
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¶2. (C) ALN presidential candidate Eduardo Montealegre 
admitted to Ambassador on July 7 that the ALN is not as 
unified as it should be.  He explained that juggling the 
aspirations of multiple parties has been very difficult, and 
many ALN activists are still disappointed with the final 
selection of Assembly deputy candidates.  Local IRI Director 
Gilberto Valdez pointed out that the ALN had a greater 
percentage of candidates selected via primaries than any 
other party (the FSLN was the only other party to use 
primaries).  However, many ALN politicos still believe they 
can secure a position on the candidates' list and are hence 
not focused on the campaign, Valdez continued. 
 
¶3. (C) The ALN will announce the heads of the party campaign 
structure on July 17, Montealegre stated.  The deputy 
candidates will be tapped to help Montealegre on the campaign 
trail, and party members will be given "jobs" to keep them 
focused on the campaign instead of jockeying for position 
within the party.  He recounted that FSLN Assembly deputy 
Edwin Castro recently congratulated ALN campaign organizer 
Eliseo Nunez on the ALN's progress in developing its party 
structure.  Montealegre also announced the ALN's "9 for 
Eduardo" initiative, in which each Eduardo supporter to 
recruit nine others to support his candidacy and ensure they 
have transport to the polls on Election Day (the "9" will 
also reinforce the need to mark Montealegre's box 9 on the 
ballot.) 
 
¶4. (C) While Montealegre acknowledged that his numbers had 
dropped in the latest Borge poll, Valdez clarified that the 
questions in the Channel 8-sponsored Borge poll had been 
crafted in such a way to favor the two traditional party 
candidates -- Rizo and Ortega.  Montealegre observed that 
popular support for the ALN as a party actually increased in 
the poll, from 6% to 18%, while support for the PLC declined 
from 32% to 24%.  Valdez added that a new M&R poll, to be 
released on July 10, will present results in line with 
earlier polls showing Montealegre in close second behind 
Ortega and Rizo trailing.  (Note: In the Borge poll, Ortega 
leads with 29.2%, followed by Montealegre with 22.4%.  Rizo 
is a close third with 20.0%, and Lewites fourth with 14.9%. 
In earlier polls, Rizo trailed with 12% to 15% support.  End 
Note.) 
 
NICARAGUAN PRIVATE SECTOR STILL HOLDING BACK 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶5. (C) Montealegre confided that he received $1.2 million in 
campaign contributions from Salvadoran businessmen during his 
July 6 trip to El Salvador, thanks to President Saca, who 
also promised to send advisors from ARENA to help the ALN 
with logistics and organization.  Nicaraguan financiers, 
however, are still "playing games" and vacillating between 
the two Liberal camps.  The ALN has only spent $850,000 so 
far on the national campaign, not including the Atlantic 
Coast regional elections.  Montealegre claimed that PLC 
candidate Jose Rizo currently has $1.7 million at his 
disposal, but he does not know the source of the PLC funds. 
 
 
LOW HANGING FRUIT 
- - - - - - - - - 
 
 
¶6. (C) Poloff mentioned that several PLC mayors and other 
local officials are unhappy with PLC leader Arnoldo Aleman's 
management of the party and may be willing to support the 
ALN.  Valdez agreed that the ALN must design a strategy to 
pursue and capture disaffected PLC leaders and voters. 
Montealegre responded that ALN National Assembly Jamileth 
Bonilla is working on such a project, but he will consider 
formalizing her role.  Montealegre confided that the PLC 
leadership in Granada will publicly defect to the ALN on July 
11 -- the date of the Liberal Revolution of Jose Santos 
Zelaya. 
 
MONTEALEGRE: PLEASE CONVINCE RIZO TO LEAVE PLC 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶7. (C) Montealegre asked the Ambassador to help convince Jose 
Rizo to renounce his candidacy and leave the PLC.  The goal 
is to create one Liberal party after the elections, so if the 
PLC loses its legal identity, Liberal continuity is still 
assured, he explained.  Montealegre stated that he could 
assure Rizo a deputy position and support him to run for 
National Assembly president.  He does not have a plan to 
accommodate PLC vice presidential candidate Jose Antonio 
Alvarado, but noted that "not even Rizo trusts him." 
(Comment: We believe it is still too early to approach Rizo 
on this issue.) 
 
MEJIA GODOY MAY ATTRACT MORE SANDINISTA VOTES TO MRS 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶8. (C) Montealegre was confident that the new MRS 
presidential (Edmundo Jarquin) and vice presidential (Carlos 
Mejia Godoy) candidates named after the unexpected death of 
Herty Lewites (reftel) will draw additional Sandinista core 
voters away from the FSLN.  He believes that Mejia Godoy will 
attract younger left-wing voters and the "nostalgic vote" of 
older Sandinistas disappointed with Ortega's betrayal of 
revolutionary ideals.  Montealegre agreed with Ambassador, 
however, that Jarquin is too conservative to appeal to "the 
masses" the way Lewites did. 
 
COMMENT 
- - - - 
 
¶9. (C) Montealegre was open to our comments and suggestions, 
agreeing that the ALN needs more unity and coordination to 
compete effectively in the elections.  Emboffs will continue 
to work with ALN officials and others to identify PLC leaders 
unhappy with Aleman's meddling in the party.  Convincing PLC 
members to support Montealegre is key to convincing Rizo that 
his candidacy is not viable and creating momentum for the ALN 
to present itself as the principal Liberal entity in 
Nicaragua. 
TRIVELLI