EU Presidency declarations on elections in Nicaragua

The European Union has followed closely recent political developments in Nicaragua, including the visit of the OAS delegation and the resolution of the Heads of the Central American States. It welcomes the stated intention of all parties concerned to refrain from initiatives that could jeopardise the on-going municipal elections process.

The EU reiterates its support for the reform policies of President Bolaños' government, in particular its efforts to improve governance and combat corruption, its achievements in the fields of debt relief and macro-economic discipline, and its initiatives (in the Operational Development Plan) in order to increase economic growth and combat poverty. The EU encourages the government of Nicaragua to persist on this path, in order to strengthen democracy, increase transparency and reduce poverty.

The EU remains nevertheless concerned about the absence of an adequate degree of independence of main state institutions, in particular the Supreme Court, the Supreme Electoral Council and the Comptroller General, from the influence of political parties, and about the continued friction between especially the executive and the legislative. This situation risks having a negative impact on Nicaragua's political and economic future and on our possibilities for implementing an effective assistance programme in the country.

The EU therefore urges all parties concerned to engage constructively, through open dialogue and co-operation, in the process of building a consensus on key issues such as how to reduce poverty, how to stimulate economic growth and how to increase the independence of the state institutions.

The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.


* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process

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