The Nicaraguan regime is putting pressure on the rest of the Central American governments to “urgently” elect a Secretary-General of the organization. Central American Integration System (CICA)from a shortlist of Nicaraguan candidates headed by the diplomat Waldrack Ludwing Janicki Whittakera controversial figure who serves as an all-terrain vehicle for Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship.

On 29 November, the regular meeting of Heads of State and Foreign Ministers of Cica in El Salvador concluded without “white smoke” rising during the election of the Secretary-General, despite pressure from Nicaragua.

“Nicaragua believes that achieving our goals and objectives requires political will and urgent action. In this direction, we have proposed a shortlist with an integrative perspective for the appointment of the Secretary-General, assuming the continuation of the period 2022-2026 that corresponds to Nicaragua’s earliest possible intervention.

The General Secretariat of CICA is vacant after the sudden resignation of Nicaragua Werner Vargaslast November 15.

Vargas was elected, in August 2022, after several weeks of intense lobbying, breaking a stalemate that had lasted more than a year, given the lack of consensus on the proposals put forward by Nicaragua, a country that, due to a rotational agreement, corresponds to the Secretariat for the 2021-2025 session.

SICA is a regional organization consisting of the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic. Its regulations stipulate consensus among members as a condition for the election of the Secretary-General.

Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Arnoldo Andre Tinoco, explained on this occasion that consensus between countries had not been achieved because Nicaragua’s proposal “did not comply with the founding principles of the organization that refer to democracy and freedom.”

The shortlist proposed by Ortega consists of: Orlando Tardansillaformer Sandinista rebel and representative of the Central American Parliament (Barlasin); Maria Amelia Coronel Kinloch, Minister of the Interior of Nicaragua; And Luz Lopez Escobar, Technical Coordinator for the Northern Caribbean Regional Government Infrastructure Secretariat. They are all considered political operators of the system.

Finally, after more than a year of deadlock, on August 11 of last year, the Nicaraguan proposal put forward by Werner Isaac Vargas Torres, who is considered more of a technical official than a politician, was accepted. Nicaragua held elections.

“We are pleased, and filled with pride, to be able to represent the paths of unity of our Central America, the paths of prosperity of our Central America,” Nicaragua’s Vice President, Rosario Murillo, declared in her daily midday address.

However, on November 15, the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the resignation of Werner Vargas from the position of Secretary General of the Central American Integration System, without explaining the reasons for this decision. He immediately proposed a new shortlist to end Nicaragua’s term at the helm of SICA.

The shortlist of candidates submitted by Nicaragua now includes Waldrack Janicki Whitacre, Minister Chancellor for Policy and International Affairs; Violeta Erias Nelson, representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of Human Rights in Balawi; And the representative Iris Marina Montenegro Blandon.

Valdrak Janiszki Whittaker, head of Ortega’s shortlist, is a Dark personality He explains that he had been linked to Sandinism since the 1980s, belonged to the state security service of the revolutionary government, and entered the world of diplomacy when he was sent to the Honduran embassy to carry out espionage missions in that country that was being used as a base for counter-revolutionary rebels. A source who knew him closely in those years.

Since 2007, when Daniel Ortega returned to power, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor, a position he held until 2021. He is considered a loyal person to the duo formed by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. While serving as Vice Chancellor, he held at least 15 other diplomatic posts simultaneously.

In July 2022, Janiczki became Nicaraguan Consul in Costa Rica and Minister Advisor to the President for Policies and International Affairs.

People who know him say Janetschke is a skilled negotiator, conspirator and “a man of caution.” “The Ortega-Murillo family uses him as a kind of Swiss Army knife, to solve major problems, and you will always see him in places where the dictatorship seeks to support,” says the source.

Opposition organizations in Nicaragua asked Central American governments not to consider Ortega’s candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the CICA system because “it would create conflicts in the regional integration system.”

“We urge your authorities to stop the election of a replacement for the Secretary General (of LSECA) and, where necessary, to elect a candidate who, instead of claiming political obedience to special interests and outside the region, is a technically qualified person,” the opponents said in a letter they sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Alexandra Hale Tinoco, who She was at the time interim president of SICA: “It is in line with the principles of freedom, democracy and human rights.”

They also noted that Ortega has on his agenda a strengthening presence Russia and China In the region. “The Nicaraguan dictatorship, in addition to directly benefiting from such a regional position, and even trying to override the will of other member states, aims to impose the involvement of Russia and China in regional matters,” they noted.

Earlier this year, Daniel Ortega’s regime began a campaign to expel Taiwan and include Russia and China as observers in the Central American integration system. In April, Taiwan was expelled from the organization and China joined it as an observer.

This week, while CICA member states were meeting in El Salvador, the Nicaraguan government sent a letter to Tinoco, with a copy to the rest of the region’s foreign ministers, asking the organization’s member states to act “with urgency” and move forward “immediately” to fill the vacancy. Which Vargas left behind.

“The SICA Secretariat is of vital importance to the functioning of all other bodies and bodies in the system. It is the engine of SICA. The functions of the Secretary-General are non-transferable and non-delegable. That is why we propose to act urgently and immediately initiate the appointment of a Head of the SICA Secretariat.”

In the letter, Nicaragua indicates that it is up to this country to complete the current term and that it has already sent a shortlist of candidates “who are high-ranking Nicaraguan officials with a long history of public service and extensive experience in the field of integration in Central America.”

Although “white smoke” has not yet risen from Sica, sociologist and economist Oscar Rene Vargas believes that Ortega’s candidate may prevail by reaching an agreement with Costa Rica, which has so far remained the main opposition country to Nicaragua’s proposals.

On November 17, the Board of Governors of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) elected Costa Rican Ana Guisela Sánchez Maroto as its president, replacing Honduran Dante Musi effective December 1. Nicaragua voted for Costa Rica.

“In foreign policy, giving is about taking, and Nicaragua’s vote for Costa Rica for the presidency of CABEI may be an endorsement of Costa Rica’s vote for Ortega’s nominee for SICA. Therefore, I believe that Ortega’s nominee will receive approval for the SICA Secretariat.”