The left-wing President of the Central American country of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega has officially named his wife as his running mate in elections, due in the country this November.
Mr Ortega is seeking re-election for a third term as President, on the ticket of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). If he is elected, his wife, Rosario Murillo will automatically become the Vice President of the country.
According to local media in Nicaragua, the first lady already plays a crucial role in the Country’s current government led by her husband. She holds the position as the chief spokesperson of the government. BBC reports that Murillo appears on national television almost every day. It is said Murillo is sharing power with her husband. Some critics even allege she takes almost all decisions for the government.
She is said to mostly discuss policies of the government and promoting her own brand of New Age spirituality on her appearance on national television. President Ortega is said to rarely speak to the media. She therefore takes the frontline role with the media.
Murillo is a professional poet, very fluent in English and French. She has seven children with Mr Ortega. She appears in public in colorful extravagant outfits and jewelleries. Her critics say she enjoys life more than any citizen of the impoverished Central American country.
On August 3, President Ortega, accompanied by his wife officially submitted their candidacy to the body supervising the elections. The couple we also accompanied by lawyers of the FSLN.
Mr Ortega hailed his choice of running mate as proof of the country’s commitment to equality. President Ortega was quoted as saying: “We talked about who could take on the vice-presidency to carry on the good work of this country’s government. It had to be a woman. And who is better than our colleague Rosario, who has gone about her duties with a lot of efficiency, discipline, dedication and commitment?”
Photos posted online showed many supporters of FSLN cheering and congratulating the couple for submitting their documents to run in the elections.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Murillo as the running mate has attracted heavy criticisms from opposition groups. They say the Mr Ortega is running the country like his personal property.
Opposition supporters told reporters that the president’s decision to appoint his wife as running mate is likely to lead the country into a family dynasty, once again.
Mr Ortega was part of the FSLN left-wing rebel movement that ousted the dictatorship of the United States-backed Somoza family in 1979. The Somoza family had ruled Nicaragua for four decades before they were ousted from power. The FSLN was highly inspired by Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Ortega was then appointed a member of the five-person Junta of National Reconstruction.
The FSLN lost elections in the 1990s, but Mr Ortega returned to power in January 2007 after a successful election campaign.
In 2014, Nicaraguan lawmakers approved constitutional changes that allowed Mr Ortega to be re-elected indefinitely. This made opposition groups say Mr Ortega is trying to hold on to office for life. In June 2016, the country was criticized for trying to bring about a one-party regime after the Supreme Court ousted Eduardo Montealegre as leader of the main opposition party, the Independent Liberal party.
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