July 10, 2005
Nicaragua's Bolanos Dismisses Impeachment Bid as Dirty Politics
Onetime rivals unite in an attempt to prosecute the president, who has refused to pardon his predecessor, convicted of corruption in 2003.
By Chris Kraul, Times Staff Writer
MANAGUA, Nicaragua — The opposition-led congress initiated impeachment proceedings this week against President Enrique Bolanos, intensifying a political crisis in this impoverished country.
An alliance of two former rivals — the Sandinista National Liberation Front and the Constitutionalist Liberal Party, or PLC — is demanding that Bolanos appear before a congressional committee as part of an effort to strip him of presidential immunity and prosecute him for "electoral crimes."
Bolanos sent his attorney to the hearing while he addressed the nation to say that the proposed impeachment was merely dirty politics, an assertion several political analysts supported.
The president accused Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega of pushing for his impeachment to repay a debt to former President Arnoldo Aleman, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2003 and whose pardon is being sought by the alliance.
Bolanos has refused to consider pardoning Aleman, who is the PLC leader and his former patron. Sandinista leaders were not available for comment but have said Bolanos was implicated in the misuse of $100 million for which Aleman was convicted.
(snip/...)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-alliance10jul10,1,7976142.story?coll=la-headlines-world(Free registration required)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~There are photos on this page which I can't get to, showing Bolanos with both
Elder Bush and
Jeb Bush. They are also friendly with the impeached former President of Argentina, Carlos Menem, and the impeached (for corruption) former President of Venezuela, Carlos Andres Perez.
http://images.google.com/images?q=Bolanos+%2B+Bush&hl=enCheck THIS outrageous hogwash operating behind our backs!
BELOW YOU WILL FIRST FIND GOVERNOR BUSH'S LETTER AND THEN DOROTHY'S RESPONSE. Please feel free to write to Gov. Bush to denounce his blatant intervention in the Nicaraguan electoral process and to ask his senator, Bill Nelson, to reprimand him. Their contact information is at the bottom of this message.
For fair elections for all,
Jill Winegardner and Dorothy Granada
The ad from Gov. Bush is laid out thus:
In small letters above the headline:
The Brother of the President of the United States (in blue)
Massive Headline: GEORGE W. BUSH
SUPPORTS ENRIQUE BOLANOS (blaring red)
This is all on white background, and the whole page is bordered in red, white and blue. The effect is of course that, at first - and even second -glance it looks as though the ad was inserted by the U.S. President himself. The main text is in black type, but with emphatic paragraphs in blue;
Translating the critical parts:
"This November, Nicaragua will choose a new president. This decision rests where it should, in the hands of the Nicaraguan voting public. At the same time, we in Florida want the people of Nicaragua to know that they are not alone in making this decision.
(snip/...)
http://www.peacehost.net/Dorothy/media-4.html