Gioconda Belli Comments on Nicaragua’s “New” Constitution
tailored to Rosario Murillo’s Fears
History runs its course, but in the end, Murillo’s Constitution will be repudiated, just like its creators. They will not be eternal. Of that, we can be sure.
By Gioconda Belli (Confidencial)
HAVANA TIMES – As Daniel Ortega approaches the end of his life expectancy, one of Nicaragua’s long-standing uncertainties has been what will happen when he is no longer around. It is believed that loyalty to this figure has been the glue holding together Nicaragua’s power structure.
Humberto Ortega paid the price for daring to suggest that the only viable succession would be to call elections, as no one else could replace him. By denying Rosario Murillo’s role in the resulting power vacuum, he incurred her hatred and cruel vengeance. This animosity outweighed the bond between the Ortega brothers. It is well-known that Daniel owed his rise to Coordinator of the Governing Junta and later to the presidency in 1984 to Humberto Ortega. Yet, this history counted for nothing when Humberto dared to challenge the notion of Murillo being the indisputable successor.
Today, it can be assumed that Rosario Murillo has managed to assert her control over Daniel Ortega’s will. He is likely aware that he owes her for the administration of power and her unscrupulous determination to retain it at all costs. Together, they form a monstrous duo: two messianic figures devoid of principles, to whom their associates and followers have ceded absolute power.
This loyalty to the leader is undoubtedly the source of Murillo’s fear. She knows she is feared, and it is certainly not love that would facilitate a power transition from him to her. On the contrary, her paranoid personality hangs like the sword of Damocles even over her most submissive subordinates. They understand, just as she does, that once Daniel is gone, many will want to rid themselves of the constant fear of her retribution.
That fear and her greed to maintain her status and govern unchallenged in the absence of Daniel are the driving forces behind this new Constitution. Calling it a “reform” conceals the reality that rewriting over one hundred articles would have required, for legitimacy, a Constituent Assembly.
It is evident that this rewriting is tailored to her needs and fears. Let us examine the most obvious points:
1- She declares herself co-president.
A presidency is established as a marital partnership and enshrined at the constitutional level. This means it is established as the law and the mode of governance in the country. This arrangement arises not from a national necessity but from her need to hold the title of president without being elected by the people for that role. It can be assumed that, after Daniel’s death, she will reign alongside Laureano, her son. When she passes, Laureano and [another son] Juan Carlos, will govern… and so forth. This new Constitution shamelessly creates, with the complacency of a fully subdued FSLN party and a nation imprisoned in fear, an unprecedented dynasty.
2- She fears a military rebellion post-Ortega.
To counter this, she constitutionalizes a “voluntary” paramilitary army. This force, loyal to her, will be well-funded, ideologically driven, and trained by the military or by those who participated in the deadly repression of youth in 2018.
3- She consolidates control over all state powers.
She officially appropriates complete control over the Legislative, Judicial, and Electoral branches, eliminating the independence of state powers enshrined in previous Constitutions.
4- Supreme command of the military and police.
Her presidency now openly assumes supreme command over the military and armed forces, not only to defend the nation from external threats but to use them domestically whenever “stability” requires it. This formalizes the power she already exercised as Ortega’s wife.
Additionally, the Constitution explicitly grants her authority over local governance, erasing municipal autonomy, although nominally it delegates the authority to appoint and remove mayors to the Attorney General’s Office. It is laughable how little respect she shows for municipal autonomy. The mere failure to show up to work for three days could suffice to remove a mayor.
I recommend reading all the changes. Among them are the redefinition of the state as “revolutionary and socialist” and the elevation of the FSLN party flag to the status of a national symbol. Henceforth, any political party must be revolutionary and socialist to exist constitutionally. Forget the possibility of other parties.
This grotesque mockery of a constitution was approved in less than 48 hours by the country’s submissive Legislature.
Never in the history of Nicaragua, with its eleven Constitutions, has one been crafted with such shamelessness to suit the convenience of a married couple.
History runs its course, but in the end, Murillo’s Constitution will be repudiated, just like its creators. They will not be eternal. Of that, we can be sure. The grave awaits them with its mournful wreaths. And now that she feels secure, we shall see how much longer Daniel Ortega endures.
First published in Spanish by Confidencial and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.