Daniel Ortega Warns Opposition Against Calling for Sanctions

During a police graduation ceremony, the Nicaraguan president exhorted his compatriots to defend the dignity of the country and their rights, prioritizing the homeland, beyond the differences that may exist from a political, religious, or economic point of view.

"Of course there are differences, but that is a far cry from asking a foreign power to punish Nicaragua, which means punishing the poorest, those who suffer the most when these sanctions come out," the President explained.

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Ortega also warned that "whoever does not defend Nicaragua and asks for sanctions against Nicaragua does not deserve to be called Nicaraguan, he has already lost his rights to opt for public office. According to the Constitution and the law, he has already lost his rights to opt for public office when there are elections in this country."

The Nicaraguan government avoided a direct response to new U.S. sanctions against its top officials and remarked that Nicaragua is a free country.
 
The head of state indicated that Nicaraguan opposition politicians "take their little trips" to the United States and Europe and asked who is financing those trips so that they arrive at those destinations to defame and slander Nicaragua while asking for more sanctions against their own nation.

"I don't know how they can think that with this attitude they will be able to participate in an election if they are not Nicaraguans. They better ask how they can participate in the United States elections or in the countries that finance them. They do so they can commit acts of terror here," Ortega emphasized. 

In recent years, the United States has imposed sanctions against 25 Nicaraguan officials, including the vice president and first lady, Rosario Murillo, three of her children, and nearly a dozen entities and institutions or companies linked to the Sandinist Revolution. 

The government denounces that Nicaragua is a victim of the unilateral and illegal sanctions of the U.S. administration and its partners, such as the European Union (EU), which seek the end of Ortega's mandate. On the other hand, the Nicaraguan President defends the country's sovereignty and continues on developing an anti-imperialist social project.