Nicaragua's Ortega Says
Won't Let Enemies Depose
Him
MANAGUA (Reuters) -
Nicaraguan President
Daniel Ortega warned his
political adversaries on
Saturday that he would
not allow them to depose
him as opposition groups
planned street protests
against his government.
"We love peace, but we
are also ready to use
the steel of war if they
try to bring down this"
government, Ortega said
in a speech.
Ortega, a leftist who
fought U.S.-backed
Contra rebels during his
first stint as head of
state in the 1980s,
returned to power last
year after beating
conservative rivals in
an election.
Thousands of people took
to the streets on June
27 to protest Ortega's
handling of the economy
and the exclusion of two
small parties from
municipal elections last
year, though the
country's largest
opposition party did not
participate actively in
the march.
Protesters that day
chanted slogans that
called Ortega a
dictator. Nicaragua is
one of Latin America's
poorest countries.
Opposition leaders are
planning another protest
on Friday.
Ortega, an ally of
leftist Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez,
repeated accusations on
Saturday that the U.S.
government is funding
the opposition groups.
"Those that are
conspiring, who are
openly financed by the
Yankees, better respect
the institutional norms
in this country. They
better not provoke the
people," he said. |
