Daniel Ortega, the Nicaraguan head of state, recently criticized Costa Rica’s statements regarding the Venezuelan elections held on Sunday. Ortega questioned Costa Rica’s authority, asking, “Since when did the Tico rulers become the Electoral Council of Latin America? Nobody has given them that power.”
These comments were made during Ortega’s speech at the 45th anniversary of the Nicaraguan Air Force, as reported by Nicaraguan media outlet La Prensa. Costa Rica has been known for its staunch defense of democracy and freedoms, condemning various dictatorial regimes in the region and advocating for free elections with international oversight.
In his speech, Ortega also addressed the issue of Guanacaste, claiming it was taken from Nicaragua. “Did they steal Guanacaste? That is true, they stole Guanacaste. Did they also want to take the San Juan River from us? That is also true. And now that General Morisca has announced plans to clean up the river, we received a letter from them that they needed to be taken into account,” he said.
Chancellor Arnoldo André dismissed Ortega’s accusations against Costa Rica, describing him as a dictator and noting that this is not the first time Ortega has made such remarks. “It is not the first time that the dictator Ortega has referred to Costa Rica in those terms. In addition to Guanacaste, he mentioned an alleged ambition of Costa Rica to become the electoral center of the continent and expressed displeasure about the San Juan River dredging issue,” André stated.
André chose not to comment on Ortega’s claims about Guanacaste, deeming them irrelevant. “The claim over Guanacaste has been settled for 200 years, and we recently celebrated the bicentennial of this resolution. I believe this is a consolidated situation that does not warrant further discussion with Nicaragua,” he said.
Lastly, André emphasized that Costa Rica will not recognize the Venezuelan electoral process “until the votes are legitimized and scrutinized by a neutral international organization that guarantees the result.”
