When Daniel Ortega takes office next year, he will be facing a completely different scenario to the one he faced in 1979, when the Sandinistas first took power.
Now there is a functioning and peaceful democracy in place, and his job will be to move it forward and focus on our greatest problem, which is poverty.
There is no need to confiscate properties or change the existing government.
Ortega will work side by side with the National Assembly, which is split between four parties, none of which has a majority.
As President, Ortega will continue the trend of forward progress seen in the previous administrations, and help Nicaragua live up to its full potential.
Ortega has started out on the right foot by meeting with COSEP (the Superior Chamber of Commerce), foreign investors and the banking community, all within his first 72 hours as President-elect.
His clear message has been: “Our promise is to eradicate poverty; we cannot eradicate poverty if we eradicate investors.”
As Mayor of San Juan del Sur, and a longtime member of the Sandinista party, I have a long history of involvement in the Sandinista movement, and have participated on many levels.
We have all grown and matured since those early times.We realize the mistakes we have made, and have our eyes on the future, not the past. As Ortega said after being elected:
“Here we cannot talk about winners or losers. Here simply we have a process where really everyone will work together for the good of Nicaragua.”
For the past five years, San Juan del Sur and my municipal government have relied almost completely on tourism and realestate investment.
My concept for San Juan del Sur is to make it Nicaragua’s premier tourist destination.
The recent boom has created unprecedented employment opportunities for San Juaneños.
I have been at the helm of this movement for the past two years and it is my responsibility to protect this investment and encourage its growth going forward.
After all, the Sandinistas are an elected party and in five years there will be another election. If we want to continue leading our country we must take advantage of this opportunity we have just been given to show our commitment to forward progress.
I can assure you that any responsible foreign investment here is as safe as ever, and welcomed by all Nicaraguans, especially the newly elected government.
The people of Nicaragua and San Juan del Sur welcome all foreigners and foreign investment with open arms, and we look forward to continued success as we work toward a brighter future for our beautiful country.
Eduardo Holmann is the Mayor of San Juandel Sur in southwestern Nicaragua.
