Sergio Ramírez urges President Lula to support Nicaraguan elections

Former Nicaraguan Vice President Sergio Ramírez has issued an open letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, urging him to support the right of Nicaraguans to hold free elections. Ramírez, who served as Vice President between 1985 and 1990, characterizes the current administration of Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, as a “family dictatorship” and a “satrapia.”

The letter follows a recent session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), where Brazil was the sole member to vote against a resolution calling for a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Nicaragua. This occurred after Ortega indicated that future elections might not be held.

Ramírez, currently living in exile in Spain after having his nationality revoked, reminded Lula of his past commitment to democratic principles. He cautioned the Brazilian leader against creating a perception that Brazil would only condemn the Ortega regime if certain political shifts occurred in Brazil, asking Lula to “not deny” the Nicaraguan people their democratic rights.