Nicaragua begins a national dialogue

Wednesday, April 25, Nicaragua promised talks to seek solutions to the country’s recent chaos. The proposed dialogue includes a new proposal to rescue Nicaragua’s pension system.

The Episcopal Conference will participate in the dialogue for which there is no date or a list of who will participate.

The talks come after violent protests leave 27 dead. While the country is finally starting to clam according to sources, “without demonstrations or barricades on the routes, with the typical congested traffic of working days” the government is still working to reduce tension in the country. 

After announcing cuts in the country’s pension system, the government worked to restore calm by permitting protests Monday and releasing detainees during the demonstrations. Furthermore, they worked towards lifting the blockade to a censored television channel.

The government announced that this Wednesday school classes resumed after they had been suspended due to the protests and blockades.

José Aguerri, president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP), explained the conditions in the country are now favorable for a dialogue. Since Sunday there have been no acts of repression, the release of detained protestors and end to the censorship of a television channel. 

"It will be a more democratic Nicaragua" that will emerge from these talks, which in their opinion should be inclusive, with representatives from all sectors of society, he added.

"We had indicated as conditions to sit down that there is freedom of expression, freedom of mobilization, freedom of prisoners (...) That has been given, now we are waiting for the Episcopal Conference to take the decision" to convene the dialogue, said Aguerri.

Another requirement of COSEP to participate in the talks was the revocation of the reform of the dilapidated pension system, which increased workers ’and employers’ contributions to save it from bankruptcy, something that Ortega did on Sunday.

The dialogue would include a new proposal to rescue the pension system from deteriorating.