MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaraguan lawmakers on Tuesday asked government officials to submit names of candidates for 23 vacancies in several public institutions, including Supreme Court judges and the office of attorney general.
The lists should be submitted to Congress in the next two weeks to begin the approval process for appointments in May, according to legislative First Secretary Alba Palacios.
Of the 23 vacancies, four are for magistrates and 16 for alternate judges of the Supreme Court, whose members completed a five-year term on March 28.
Many of the officials whose terms had expired are sympathetic to the ruling Sandinista party, which currently has more than the 56 votes needed in Congress to approve nominations to the posts, in accordance with Nicaragua’s constitution.
The Liberal opposition, with a minority in Congress, has tried to negotiate in recent weeks with President Daniel Ortega the allocation of some of the available positions, as part of a proposal for dialogue that has not been addressed yet by the government.
