Consultation Meeting “We Have A Nation”
with Representatives of Legally Constituted Political Parties
September 24th 2026
Dr. Gustavo Porras
President of the National Assembly:
Good afternoon, Friends, Compañeros and Compañeras, Brothers and Sisters. Welcome to the Rubén Darío hall of the National Assembly. Today we have a very important meeting with you, as Representatives of the Legally Constituted Political Parties in our country.
We want to say hello. The Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council are with us, Compañera Alma Nubia Baltodano, Magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Council, and Compañero Cairo Amador, Magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Council.
Here too are the members of the Executive Board I want to introduce to you. You know them, but there is Dr. Arling Alonso, First Vice President; Compañera Amada Pineda, our Heroine, Second Vice President; Compañera Loria Raquel Dixon, First Secretary; there is the Second Secretary, who is Dr. Wilfredo Navarro, and Dr. Alejandro Mejía Ferretti, Third Secretary.
Also, as part of the Special Constitutional Commission, there are the Heads of the political grouping: Dr. Edwin Castro, Head of the Sandinista Front political grouping; our friend Lester Flores, Head of the Liberal political grouping; and our friend Mario Asensio, Head of the IDB political grouping. We also have two Commission presidents who have worked on this Special Constitutional Commission, who are Dr. María Auxiliadora Martínez, president of the Justice Commission, and Dr. Wálmaro Gutiérrez, president of the Economic Commission.
We have here our Brother Fidel Moreno, who is also the Legal Representative of the Sandinista Front. Well, here we are and we welcome you all. We have the representation of the fifteen political parties that are legally constituted, and the idea is that we have an exchange after presenting the seven points that have been discussed, which were approved in the First Legislature and on which we are still in a discussion process which, at this point, carries an important amount of opinions.
On this occasion we have this meeting, I think it is one of the most important, because it is with the institutions that are going to implement or that implement this, because if we are talking about elections, if we are talking about the non-acceptance of extraterritoriality of the law, if we are talking about periods and electoral times. It all has to do with political parties. To be clear, I am going to mention the seven points only and then there we’ll have your interventions.
As you can see, this entire Reform Process is based on seeking Stability, Security and Peace. Stability, Security and Peace are three elements that suit all of us, the entire People of Nicaragua, not just the political parties. All the People of Nicaragua want Stability, we want Security and we want Peace.
Moreover, peace is the aspiration that is in first place of the Nicaraguan people. All the Nicaraguan people, when asked what they aspire to most, is to live in Peace, and what we all aspire to is to live in Peace. That is why this Reform is guided in that sense, the direction of seeking Stability, Security and Peace.
On that, very quickly I will mention the Seven Points, because the idea is rather that you take up the available time. Of course, here the reforms are in let's say the language of summary; already in the law it has all the necessary legal presentation.
The First Article precisely explains how Nicaragua prohibits any legal effect of laws made outside the country. In other words, we prohibit the extraterritoriality of foreign laws. A law made by another country or a law made by other countries or by international organizations has no legal effect in Nicaragua, to be clear, and that will be incorporated into the Constitution; it is part of the fundamental Legal basis of our country.
The second Article, which was one of the things that generated a lot of discussion, not because it was unclear, but because there were people who wanted to confuse things, when the Comandante clearly said: There are not going to be elections here again afterwards explaining there are not going to be elections again in which those who want to destroy the country take over the government, take over power and reverse all the progress we have been achieving.
That is clear in this second point, so to comply with that clear directive. So, the Second Article of this Reform law that we are following up in this Consultation, but which was already approved in the First Legislature, clearly states that: They will not be able to be candidates in this country for popular election, nor will they be able to hold public offices by appointment of the Presidency or by election of the National Assembly, making clear who will not be able to: the coup plotters, traitors to the Nation, those who incite or promote foreign interference, those who call for military intervention, those who organize with foreign financing, those who support economic, commercial or financial blockades, those who call for sanctions against the State of Nicaragua and those who do not comply with the Fundamental Principles of the Political Constitution.
That's it, just so we're all clear: Are there going to be elections in Nicaragua? Of course there are going to be elections. And how are those elections going to be held? As they have always been, with the polling stations and with all the characteristics and with the Electoral Law that is established, everything to do with the representation of the parties. In this case, you are representatives of legally constituted parties and have every right to participate in the elections.
So then what is the difference? Yes, we have to be careful because someone who has been a coup leader, someone who is a traitor to the Nation, someone who has been on social networks requesting an invasion to come or asking for blockades or asking to sanction all the parties that are involved in the struggle for Peace and Tranquility of the country, they will not be able to become a candidate. Of course they cannot, that is what will not be allowed. And all those who disrespect the Constitution, that's the same everywhere in the world.
You know, as people who are in politics and who are part of political parties, everywhere in the world is the same. So, we have to make it clear, the thing is that we did not have it clearly established in the Constitution. Now it is going to be clearly established in the Constitution.
The third article is about the periods of office. That is, the approach proposal is that the established period for elected offices, which means the period between one election and another, is going to be seven years. We all know that there are National Elections, Municipal Elections and Regional Elections here, and they all have their own logic in time, their own sequence and their date. But the period between one election and another, that is, between a national one and the new national one, is seven years. The period between the municipal and the other municipal is seven years, at the time which corresponds to it, and that of the regional and the other regional are seven years, at the corresponding time.
So, there is nowhere to get lost there. It's going to be the same three elections, it's going to be the same dates, because they are set, it says: the Sunday after November 2, the Day of the Dead. Everything is set up. But well, the difference is that the period is going to be seven years, so there is nowhere to get confused.
The fourth Article is that, since all this has to have cohesion, then also the periods of the Head of the Military Forces of the Army and the Heads of the Police Forces are also going to be seven years. Thus the elected positions - seven years, and the appointments of the Heads of the Military Forces of the Army and of the Police Forces - seven years. That is also very clear.
The Fifth Article is that, with the Reform, the Supreme Electoral Council is given the power to enforce this constitutional mandate. So, in its terms of reference, the Council now clearly tells you that it has the task of preparing elections every seven years. But it also tells you in the corresponding periods and also that it has as an attribution to review and refuse to register and also to sanction those who want to participate as candidates but cannot as a result of the clear prohibitions disqualifying them.
As well as withdrawing the legal personality of a party that is receiving funding from abroad or whose candidates receive funding from abroad or who do not comply with the Constitution of the Republic. That is to say, in essence, it is what we have already seen: the Council has to have the full force of the Constitution to enforce that. So, it is a reform that has to do with the powers of the Supreme Electoral Council. They are clearly established there.
The Sixth Article is a Reform to make amends and do justice. We, on January 18th commemorate the birth of Rubén Darío. Rubén Darío, the World's greatest literary exponent, the Universal Poet, but he is also a Nicaraguan National Hero. We used to hold the inauguration on January 10th. So, the reform makes the inauguration on January 18th in honor of Rubén Darío. That is to say, and it is practically indisputable, what we are doing is really an act of justice and an act of reparation.
And finally, the Seventh Article is that since we know that the positions of popular election and those appointed by the President are for seven years. That is why the elections are moving to a seven-year term. Also those of the Armed Forces, the positions appointed by the President, as I was saying, are seven years from the last appointment. For example, the President of the Central Bank or the President of the Banco Produzcamos or the Members of the Council. Of course, that's not seven years from the last election, but seven years from the date of their appointment.
But, apart from that, we have to be consistent. If we say it's seven years, we're saying the next elections are in 2028, because it's going to be seven years. So, we, the political parties, have to make all the necessary preparation and satisfy all the corresponding legalities, by 2028, according to the schedule that the Council is going to pass at the time.
But the currently elected authorities, they were elected for 2027, they are in office for six years but there cannot be an empty period. So, what the reform says there is that the functions of those currently elected, there we are talking about Mayors, Councilors, Municipal Councils, Vice Mayors, Deputies are extended to seven years so that everything fits together exactly.
So far, that's the seven points. We are continuing in this Consultation Process and we already have case law, as the lawyers say, that if suddenly it turns out something of weight that has been left out there, it can be addressed in that Second Legislature.
That's as far as we have got to and now we leave the floor to you.
What will the dynamic be? You have the microphone there. So, raise your hand and whoever wants to participate can do so. But before your participation, is there anything that has been unclear in this summary? Well, then, we open it up for you.
Compañera Jessica Sinclair
Southern Caribbean Representative and National Vice-President
of the Independent Constitutionalist Liberal Movement
Good afternoon, a pleasure to be here.
My name is Jessica Sinclair, dignified Representative of the Movement in the Southern Caribbean and Vice President at the national level of the Independent Constitutionalist Liberal Movement. In the name of the movement, I will be sharing with you here. On behalf of the north-south movement, the representatives of the movement, Compañeras and Compañeros, presiding commission, public present, and allied parties.
As Vice-President of the Independent Liberal Constitutionalist Movement and Liberal Party, I want to express our support for the effort that the Special Constitutional Commission has been making in this consultation process.
As a movement, we consider that the proposed Reform contains important elements to strengthen Peace, Security, Stability and Well-being of Nicaragua, as well as to continue facing one of our main challenges, which is poverty. We also support the principle of National Sovereignty, because Nicaragua has the right to decide its own destiny and to protect against any form of foreign interference or intervention.
That is why we participate in this consultation with responsibility, with a constructive spirit and with the commitment to contribute to everything that brings about a Peaceful, Secure and, above all, Sovereign Nicaragua with better opportunities for Nicaraguan families. Thank you very much.
Long live Nicaragua!
Long live Free Nicaragua!
Dr. Gustavo Porras:
We ask you to identify themselves and tell us the Movement you speak for.
Compañero Carlos Canales
Alliance for the Republic (APRE) Political Party:
Carlos Canales, of the Alliance for the Republic Party, APRE. Dr. Gustavo Porras Cortés, President of the Executive Board of the National Assembly, honorable Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council, we appear before you at the invitation of the National Assembly and the Supreme Electoral Council, in strict compliance with our role as a legally constituted political organization with parliamentary representation.
We are grateful for the opportunity to learn in detail about the proposal of Constitutional Reforms and, at the same time, to raise our position with absolute responsibility, contributing our voice to the institutional strengthening of the Nation.
I want to emphasize that, above any party status or political leadership, first of all I am a citizen and a patriot and as such, devoted to the love of our Nation, and that is why I will always raise my voice to defend our laws, our Constitution, our sacred Sovereignty and the Dignity of our country against any form of foreign interference.
Therefore, the Alliance for the Republic APRE Party supports, as a political organization and as citizens, the Partial Reforms to our Constitution, aimed at consolidating Stability, Security and Peace, because we clearly understand that we require Stability to grow, Security to protect and Peace to live fully every day.
Today history calls us to act with a high vision and a sense of State. The Constitutional Reforms that are presented to us are not only a normative change, they are the foundations on which we will build the future of the next generations.
We reiterate our unwavering commitment to the development, harmony and well-being of all Nicaraguans; that our work and our task today be the guarantee of a firm, Sovereign Patriotic Nation in permanent peace.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Orlando José Tardencilla,
Representative of Alternative for Change:
Good afternoon, everyone. First of all, on behalf of Alternativa por el Cambio, Orlando José Tardencilla, we would like to express to you, Doctor Porras, our full adherence to the decision of thousands of Nicaraguans in this consultation process, as you have also heard their full support. We join as citizens, as a party, because we certainly also share the fundamental objectives that are set out in this Reform: Peace, Unity, Stability, Independence and Freedom.
We support then, as we said before, the enormous national effort that the National Assembly and the Special Commission are making, but we also support the political parties that have already debated in the National Assembly in the First Legislature and will debate in the Second Legislature in due course. Also our full support and our adherence to all political parties with whom we are all making common cause to strengthen this country.
It is true that each one of us is a small bit of Nicaragua, but together we all constitute ourselves as the full Nicaragua. That is why I reiterate our full support. There is a small delegation of directors of the departments of Nicaragua here and they too have participated in the consultation, the extraordinary consultation, extraordinary effort and, of course, the result will be more Nation, more Nicaragua, more Freedom.
Thank you very much, Compañeras and Compañeros.
Compañero Noel Horacio González Carrión,
Member of the National Executive and Spokesperson of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance:
Good afternoon, Mr. President of the National Assembly. My name is Noel Horacio González Carrión, spokesman of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance, member of the National Executive Board, Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council present, deputies, all of us present here, I want to thank you for the opportunity you give me.
I am present together with members of the National Executive Board of the ALN chaired by Dr. Alejandro Ferretti, Engineer Carlos García and Treasurer Harold Sánchez, along with my person as a spokesperson. We want to give a unanimous and clear endorsement of the identity and the effect of what these Constitutional Reforms are.
Through an extraordinary meeting of the National Executive Board of our party, all the reforms themselves were read out. And we consider that they bring together three fundamental factors: Sovereignty, Self-determination and the right of peoples to choose who they consider to be the right people.
The reality is that the institutional aspect, today in this international and national historical context, is of primary importance and, in that sense, the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance unanimously supports and endorses this Constitutional Reform initiative, thanking you hand in hand for the presence and the invitation you have given us.
Thank you.
Compañero Osorno Coleman,
Representative of the Movement of the New Children of Mother Earth Party
MYATAMARAN:
Good afternoon, Dr. Gustavo Porras, President of the National Assembly, honorable Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council, members of the Executive Board of the National Assembly, members of the Special Constitutional Commission, Deputies of the Central American Parliament, Deputies of the National Assembly, all present in this room, a very good afternoon.
My name is Osorno Coleman, I come on behalf of the Movement of the New Children of Mother Earth Party, MYATAMARAN, of regional scope on the Caribbean Coast. I am joined this afternoon by three brothers and sisters, Señora Delcy Antonio, Señora Francisca Becker and our Brother Engineer Lloyd Busse. It is an honor to be here at this momentous event this afternoon.
We, as a regional party emerged from the bosom of the indigenous communities, have come to express our position on the Reform promoted by the National Assembly at the moment to preserve Peace, Stability, the Security of our Sovereignty.
Also, the momentum of our Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, the social and economic transformation, as well as the development carried out across Nicaragua by the Government presided over by Co-Presidents Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Compañera Rosario Murillo, with more hospitals, more roads, more schools and the strengthening of the autonomous process in the Caribbean regions, we want to express our firm support for this Partial Reform to the Political Constitution of Nicaragua, both in the First and in the Second Legislature.
Thank you very much.
Additionally, Doctor, I wanted to ask a question regarding the terms of the popularly elected offices. In that seven-year period, if the authorities of the territories are included, there in the case of the Caribbean Coast, and the communal authorities, because there people are asking, well, if that structure of communities and territories is included there.
Thank you.
Compañero Miguel Ángel Meléndez,
National Vice President of the PLC:
Good afternoon. My name is Miguel Ángel Meléndez and I am the national vice president of the PLC. I am accompanied by three national directors of our party who are the National Secretary, here I have him on my left, César Omar, and the Secretary of Communication, Don Jorge Irías Ayala, and our national treasurer, Jorge Jaime.
I would like to greet the Executive Board of the National Assembly, the Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council and, of course, the Deputies who make up the Special Constitutional Commission.
I appear before you on behalf of Maria Haydee Osuna, the national president of the party, in my capacity as national vice-president, to formally express the position of our political institution regarding the Consultation process of Constitutional Reforms.
The Liberal Constitutionalist Party carries in its own name a phrase that says that we are a constitutionalist party.
For us liberals, the Political Constitution is not only a set of legal norms, but it is the framework where the State is organized, where the laws governing the coexistence of our Nation are established.
From that perspective, the PLC believes that any Constitutional Reform should have the Nicaraguan people as its center, which I congratulate you on because you are doing the different consultations in the territories and in the municipalities.
Our institutional values and principles recognize the importance of the fundamental issues of our nation being decided by Nicaraguans themselves within the framework of our institutions and in our constitutional system. Nicaragua has the right to write its own history, Nicaragua has the right to define its institutions.
Therefore, from our liberal and constitutionalist identity, we leave it expressed to you that the Liberal Constitutionalist Party accompanies this consultation process that you are doing. We are aware of the importance of this reform.
Finally, I want to tell you that we, as a party, have participated since 1990 in the different elections that have been held, whether national, municipal or regional and we will continue to participate.
As the President of the Assembly, Dr. Gustavo Porras, said well, we have to prepare for 2028 in order to participate, as the Constitution and our laws say.
So once again I reiterate the position of the Liberal Constitutionalist Party, which is accompanying this consultation with our deputies whom we have in this Assembly.
We have been responsible and aware of the responsibility we have as a party. It only remains for me to thank you for the patience you have had in listening to me.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Constantino Velázquez,
National President and Legal Representative of the Nationalist Liberal Party:
Honorable Members of the National Assembly, the Supreme Electoral Council, Special Constitutional Commission. I am Constantino Velázquez, National President and Legal Representative of the Liberal Nationalist Party. After having analyzed the Partial Reforms to the Constitution, we contribute to all its reforms and support those Constitutional Reforms so that they give us Security, Peace and Tranquility in our beloved Nicaragua.
And so the countries and organizations, as the Reform says, and those Nicaraguans themselves who are against our country, will not be able to interfere, so let's secure our country.
Thank you very much.
Compañera Margine Trujillo
Representative of the Independent Liberal Party, PLI:
Good afternoon, Dr. Gustavo Porras, Executive Board present, different representatives of political parties, media, I represent as a Member of the National Executive of the Independent Liberal Party, the PLI.
We totally support the Constitutional Reform of Nicaragua, because it is Well-being for our Nicaragua, which is now a country with better development in education, in health, on the best roads, and we have very clearly seen how these exhibitions that our Doctor Gustavo Porras has made, in the different communities, in the different departments, have been very successful, because we have seen the unconditional support of the entire population, where we have seen that they have demonstrated they can to support this Constitution.
We have also seen how the reform sets out to strengthen our Sovereignty, because it seeks to strengthen our Stability, our Security and our Peace, and we, as an Independent Liberal Party, totally support this Constitution, because it is for the well-being of our Nicaragua.
Thank you very much.
Compañera María Consuelo Castro,
Vice-President of the Christian Unity Party:
Good afternoon, Dr. Gustavo Porras and the Executive Board you chair, the media, Deputies who are present, parties that support the Constitutional Reforms today.
I am the Vice President of the Christian Unity Party, María Consuelo Castro. We, the members of the Christian Unity Party, which today presides over a board and we consider that our Nation is currently developing an Institutional Consultation Process around the initiatives to Reform the Political Constitution, conducted through the Special Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly of Nicaragua and that in this Institutional Consultation Process, our Christian Unity Party fully supports the Reforms to our Political Constitution, since these strengthen the defense of the principle of Self-Determination of our Peoples and full respect for our National Sovereignty, guaranteeing the exercise of the right to decide our destiny.
We also express our firm support for the defense of our Constitutional Reform processes carried out by the Nicaraguan State institutions and by the People President. This process constitutes a mechanism that strengthens the participation of all legally constituted political parties before the Supreme Electoral Council, as well as the various State institutions, public institutions and organized sectors in perfecting the Sovereign Legal Framework.
We, as the Party of Christian Unity, recognize and adhere to the decision of our Co-Presidents, Comandante Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Compañera Rosario Murillo, supporting the Constitutional Reforms that guarantee the full exercise of our right to decide our future. We firmly support the work of the National Assembly through the Special Constitutional Commission and the Supreme Electoral Council in consolidating this legal framework, because we are sure that these Constitutional Reforms guarantee the stability and continuity of our Government plans and programs to combat and eradicate poverty in our country.
We welcome the constant willingness to dialogue, consensus and institutional inclusion demonstrated in the days of consultation with State institutions and various sectors of society, aimed at the continuous strengthening of Peace, Stability and Sovereign Democracy of our Nation.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Julio César Blandón Sánchez,
President and Legal Representative of the Nicaraguan Resistance Party:
Good afternoon, Dr. Gustavo Porras, Executive Members of the Assembly who preside over the bureau, Magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Supreme Electoral Council. I am Julio César Blandón Sánchez, President and Legal Representative of the Nicaraguan Resistance Party.
The Nicaraguan Resistance Party has 12 national directors accompanying me today, we are clear from the consultations on the Partial Reforms that are being made in the National Assembly, where we have accompanied the National Assembly while also our municipal directors, in the same way, are doing so because we believe that it is a great enlightenment our Co-President and our Co-President Rosario Murillo are bringing to Nicaragua, in addition to all the projects they have done.
We strongly support these consultations and may God bless Nicaragua, because it is the best step we can do for Nicaragua, as our President the People President People has said.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Armando Arista,
Legal representative of the Coastal Unity Movement Party on the North Caribbean Coast:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the Supreme Electoral Council of the National Assembly. My name is Armando Arista and I am the legal representative of the Coastal Unity Movement Party on the North Caribbean Coast.
First of all, we would like to thank you for the participation you have allowed us on this occasion to hear the Constitutional Reforms first hand. We also want to give our full support to these Reforms that we believe will substantially and substantively improve the projects that are gradually being developed in Nicaragua. I would like to leave a question in the environment.
How will the provisions of the Reform or Reforms, in particular the seven-year periods and their transitional rules, be harmonized with the autonomous regime of the Caribbean Coast, the organization of regional elections and what coordination spaces are envisaged with the autonomous authorities and regional parties?.
We still do not have much knowledge about this, so that's why I leave the question to see if in the future you can explain the situation a little clearer to us. On the other hand, I cannot finish my speech without thanking you for the opportunity that is being given to us to participate in this session.
From the Caribbean Coast, we express our willingness to contribute to the dialogue on Reform with respect to National Sovereignty, to the autonomy issue. We are interested in the rules being clear, concise and precise.
Thank you.
Good afternoon.
Compañero René Bello Romero,
Legal representative of the Regional Liberal Autonomous Party on the South Caribbean Coast:
Good afternoon, everyone. I am René Bello Romero, legal representative of the regional Liberal Autonomous Party on the Southern Caribbean Coast. I am accompanied here by the Santiago Montoya B.A., who is the Secretary of Organization, and the Engineer Giovanni Castellón, who is the Secretary of Actions.
We are here only to ratify what our municipal structures in the Southern Caribbean have already mandated us, because our municipal structures in the Southern Caribbean have already participated in the Extensive Consultation that was carried out through the communal governments, the territorial governments and the municipal governments there on the Caribbean Coast.
And we, as regional managers, have received their support and that is why we have come today, to ratify the support for these Constitutional Reforms, because we believe and are convinced that in the way they are being proposed they will strengthen the institutionality of our regional governments and that will ensure the continuity of the development of the projects that are being implemented on the Caribbean Coast.
We are happy with the way the Caribbean Coast development plan is being implemented and that is what motivates us to support all this effort of Constitutional Reform.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Manuel Canales,
Member of the Political Council of the Alliance for the Republic Party:
A very good afternoon, Doctor Porras, Magistrates, honorable Special Constitutional Commission of the Partial Reform. I am Manuel Canales, a member of the Political Council of the Alliance for the Republic Party, and I just wanted to express two very important things for us, apart from thanking you for the invitation and being able to be part of this process.
And it is that when we were designing the speech that we were going to bring here, a very important factor that motivated us to do that, that motivates us to support, is to live for ourselves and to be able to see in person how people participate in the different municipalities where these consultations have been held.
We have been able to be in several municipalities and we have seen that support from the general population, from the different sectors, in the different municipalities and the other thing is that part of our discourse, as a political organization, has always been to be in favor of all those laws that benefit the great majority.
That is why we reiterate our support for this Partial Reform.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Víctor Manuel Padilla Zamora,
Vice-President and Legal Representative
Progressive Indigenous Movement of La Moskitia Party:
Good afternoon, Dr. Gustavo Porras, Compañeras and Compañeros who chair the bureau, the commission that has worked tirelessly since July 21-22 in this Process of Partial Reform to the Political Constitution of our country.
First of all, I want to tell you that Nicaragua walks with the hand of Almighty God. The wisdom that the Lord has provided has been facilitating our Co-President, Comandante Daniel Ortega, and Compañera Rosario Murillo in leading the destiny of our country, it is palpable, seen from every angle.
My name is Víctor Manuel Padilla Zamora, Vice President and Legal Representative of the Progressive Indigenous Movement of La Moskitia Party, Moskitia Pawanka.
We support, we 100% support this process of Partial Reform to our Constitution because, as each of you knows, we on the Caribbean Coast, after all the time of that long dark night, for us today the Caribbean Coast s very different.
Thanks be to God first and thanks to our Co-Presidents and the effort also of each of you Compañeros and Compañeras, who in different trenches are supporting each of the great projects and developments that our Government has been promoting. Therefore, our total support, 100%, to this process of Partial Reform to the Constitution.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Jorge Ocampo,
Representative of Alliance for the Republic:
Good afternoon, Jorge Ocampo, from Alliance for the Republic. Dr. Gustavo Porras, President of the National Assembly, members of the Constitutional Commission, Magistrates of the Electoral Council and the People of Nicaragua.
The Alliance for the Republic firmly expresses its support for the Constitutional Reform initiatives. We welcome the work carried out by the Commission, the President and the working team in this process.
As worthy heirs of the patriotic legacy of General José Santos Zelaya, we assume the historical commitment to defend National Sovereignty. This support emanates from the bases of deep Nicaragua, urban Nicaragua, where families demand Peace, Progress, Institutionality and Harmony.
Our party, Alliance for the Republic, reiterates that it will support all those legislative and constitutional initiatives that guarantee the Peace, Social Stability and Economic Development of our Nicaragua, fundamental pillars for the well-being of our Patriotic Nation, Nicaragua.
Thank you very much.
Dr. Gustavo Porras:
Who's missing? There's someone else there.
Compañero Representative of the Liberal Constitutionalist Independent Movement:
Good afternoon, Dr. Gustavo Porras, and all presiding. A very special greeting to Dr. Wilfredo Navarro, to the authorities who allow us to participate in this colloquium, in this presentation of the Constitutional Reforms.
The Independent Liberal Constitutionalist Movement presents itself in this hall, full of members, to strongly and clearly support the Constitutional Reforms. We are clear that the fight against poverty can only take place successfully along paths of Peace and it is only proper to recognize that Nicaraguan society has developed in a social, political and cultural ecosystem which necessarily has to establish regulations ensuring Peace and Security.
That is why, when the invitation was extended to us to participate and listen to these Reforms, we all came together contentedly because it is a cry we have heard since 2018 when we saw our streets flooded with violence, threatening our freedoms, when we were victims of terror which only benefits foreign interests.
Only a Government like the one we have today and with these kinds of initiative can we be sure of a barrier to violence and a bridge towards reconstruction, towards development, towards Peace. We are very glad to be able to participate with you. We have listened and have been attentive to all these consultations that are being carried out throughout the country.
And that is why, like everyone present here, we are clear that the only way forward is to support these Reforms aimed at consolidating Peace in our country.
Thank you very much.
Compañero Edwin Castro,
Representative of the Sandinista National Liberation Front
and the Alliance United Nicaragua Triumphs:
Thank you.
I wanted to address you on behalf of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and on behalf of our Alliance Nicaragua Unida Triunfa.
I think this is a historic moment where all the political parties have come together. We are the whole political family of this country, both from the Northern Autonomous Regions and from the Southern Autonomous Regions and we are all concerned about one thing, given what I have heard and which we all share. Fidel and I share that concern for peace, for Security, for Stability. Let these factors lead us in the fight against poverty, which is our true and only enemy.
That's what we all came together on. We are all united to take Nicaragua forward as we have been doing, with more hospitals, with more schools, guaranteeing children their education, their school lunch, taking the university to the countryside, a dream of many and forgive me for a personal remembrance , a dream of my father who in 1958 wrote: From the University to the Countryside is the only route where Freedom can flourish.
And today we have taken the university to the countryside. We have brought education to our farmers, to our producers. We also have to talk about the highways, some of you have accompanied us on this tour of different municipalities and we have seen the connectivity, I think we now have 150 municipalities with streets, paved or cemented and also paved highways which mean more production.
It all means less poverty, it means more well-being of our families. And that is why today I believe that, taking into account what each of you have said from the different parties, unity for the Nation is what prevails for us right now. Unity for Peace, Unity for transforming Nicaragua under the hand of God's wisdom.
So, Compañeros, Compañeras, thank you very much, I didn't want to let this moment pass without thanking everyone for this unity and for this support.
Thank you.
Dr. Gustavo Porras:
Does anyone else wants to participate?
We have practically 100% representation of the legally constituted parties in this country and I am going to mention them: Alliance for the Republic, Liberal Nationalist Party, Yapti Tabas Masraka Movement Party, Nicaraguan Resistance Party, Alternative for Change, Coastal Unity Movement Party, Liberal Autonomous Party, Constitutionalist Liberal Party, Progressive Indigenous Movement of la Moskitia Party, Moskitia Pawanka, Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance, Sandinista National Liberation Front Party, Christian Unity Party, Independent Liberal Party and Independent Constitutionalist Liberal Movement. There we all are.
There are fourteen party representations, 100% of the legally constituted representations and we have an attendance of one hundred delegates who have participated, there have been sixteen addresses. So each of the legally constituted parties in our country have had their say
I think this is a sign of the desire for Peace, Stability and Security of Nicaraguans, of the Nicaraguan people, of Nicaraguan families, and that is the expression of this model which we are all building, the model of the People President . So I ask that we give a round of applause to all of us who are here.
In relation to the question about territorial Governments that Compañero Osorno asked. So, it must be remembered that we have... let me read Article Six of the Law on the Communal Property Regime of the Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Communities of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua and the Bocay, Coco, Indio and Maíz rivers.
It reads: The elections, reelections, dismissals and periods of mandates of the communal and territorial authorities will be made according to the traditional customs and procedures of the indigenous communities and ethnic communities.
So, they have their own dynamic, their own rules, their own logic, and they are protected by the Law of Autonomy. What is clear is that the reform does corresponds to the Regional Governments and Mayors, that is what applies in the regional elections that are held in the month of March. So they would be in the month of March, as appropriate, seven years after the last elections which were in 2024, then the next elections correspond to 2031.
It is a pleasure for us to have you here and now let’s give the floor to Magistrate Cairo Amador to address us.
Compañero Cairo Amador,
Magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Council:
Thank you very much. Greetings to each one of you and to those presiding over this fraternal session.
Democracy is not an abstract entity. Recently, at a meeting of international political scientists and commentators, one of them made an excellent lecture saying that Democracy that does not give results is not Democracy. A democracy can hardly be called as such which has no preconditions for its development. Those who also, within that democracy, promote chaos are precisely attacking the political system of democratic government.
Through the fifteen, sixteen speeched that you gave, I was paying some attention to the verbs you were using, since words have content and that content is what gives weight to the actions which support those words. And, by way of a clear and short summary, what you said was that you talked about stability, you talked about development, you talked about coexistence, you talked about trust, you talked about Peace, because all of that, moreover, is interconnected, it is indeed interconnected. All that is precisely what expresses what democracy is, in concrete terms, through concrete development, through concrete works, with a participatory population and elections are the first phase of all that.
So, looking ahead to 2028, I see that we have a strengthened environment in terms of purpose and in terms of convergence of ideas and interests working in favor of this country.
Thank you very much.
Dr. Gustavo Porras:
Well, beloved Friends, Compañeros and Comapñeras, Brothers and Sister, tomorrow we too, just so you know, are being told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that we are going to have another meeting with the Ambassadors, because you may remember that before starting the whole process we informed you about, we had met with the Ambassadors and that we would continue informing you. This is a work in progress at the moment, because we have to work it all out.
I think it is important that all the Members of each of our parties are clear, because while here we have the voice and representation of their leaders, but it is also be very important that all the parties’ memberships are completely clear.
So, we have to clarify, because others seek to sow doubt in us. In other words, now doubts are being raised about our reforms via lies or falsehoods, at the speed of light, through the social networks, and we have to clarify, make very clear that there are indeed going to be elections, make it clear that we have to prepare for 2028, make it clear that those barred from taking part in those elections are the ones who have sought to carry out the coup against all of us,, asking for us to be invaded; asking for military intervention, as if bombs have any kind of selectivity, in other words, that is a disaster.
But thank God we are working in Peace, we are working for Peace, and that is the main strength we have. And this unity of the legally constituted political parties which, despite totally different political ideas, have unity around one thing: Peace, the Security of our People, the Stability of our country, and that these three things are what are going to allow us to continue to progress and overcome poverty. That's what unites us all.
So I believe we are very content with your presence. This won’t be the last meeting, we are committed to keeping you informed and we also have January eighteenth not far away, which is the date we have for approval in the Second Legislature. So we’ll have another meeting and we are going to have regular meetings as well, because it is important to communicate with the governing body of every aspect of political parties, which is the Supreme Electoral Council.
Does anyone else have anything to add…. If not, let's all give each other a round of applause and congratulations.
