Ortega Promises Economic Stability
Nicaraguan President-elect Daniel Ortega told the International Monetary Fund Wednesday that he will maintain macroeconomic stability, but his government policies will aim at reducing poverty and unemployment.

Anoop Singh, IMF manager for the Western Hemisphere, revealed this after meeting with Ortega behind closed doors at the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) headquarters.

"He has told us he was committed to maintaining macroeconomic stability and low inflation rates," Singh asserted

Singh also said the president-elect explained the objectives of his administration, and "assured us he would work for economic policies to work to reduce poverty and unemployment."

The IMF-Nicaragua economic agreement that was signed 16 years ago, after the FSLN electoral defeat in 1990, expired on December 12.

Prior to today s meeting, Ortega had announced he would request more flexibility from the financial organization in order to be able to fulfill his campaign promise to eradicate the poverty afflicting 80 percent of the Nicaraguan population.