Evaluacion De La Democracia En Nicaragua

Democracy and Governance Assessment in Nicaragua

Submitted to: USAID/Nicaragua

The US Agency for International Development

USAID

Submitted by: ARD, Inc. 159 Bank Street, Suite 300 Burlington, Vermont 05401 telephone: (802) 658-3890 fax: (802) 658-4247 e-mail: ard@ardinc.com
Work Conducted under USAID Contract No. AEP-I-00-99-00041-00 General Democracy and Governance AnalyticalSupport and Implementation Services Indefinite Quantity Contract
CTO for the basic contract: Joshua Kaufman Center for Democracy and Governance, G/DG Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support, and Research U.S. Agency for International Development Washington, DC 20523-3100

June 2003

Acknowledgments
This Democracy and Governance (DG) Assessment of Nicaragua resulted from collaboration betweenUSAID’s Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance/Office of Democracy and Governance (DCHA/DG) which provided the funding, USAID/Nicaragua, and ARD, Inc. The report was written by Bob Asselin, Tom Cornell, and Larry Sacks and the Assessment Team also included Maria Asuncion Moreno Castillo. The authors wish to recognize the important contributions that Dr. Miguel Orozco, of theInter-American Dialogue made through his extensive pre-trip interview and numerous professional papers and books contributing his nuanced understanding of Nicaraguan society and politics. The assessment methodology was developed by the Strategies and Field Support Team of the Center for Democracy and Governance. The Assessment Team wishes to acknowledge assistance provided by the personnel ofUSAID/Nicaragua, who graciously provided significant logistical support and insights into Nicaragua’s challenges and opportunities. The authors are also grateful to Ambassador Barbara Moore for candid and insightful interactions during the oral debriefings that helped to raise the quality and value of the assessment. In addition, the Assessment Team would like to thank Jerry Hyman and Joshua Kaufmanof the Center for Democracy and Governance for their technical guidance and comments and especially, Eric Kite, who continued to guide the finalization process with insightful and helpful suggestions. The views expressed in the following assessment are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government.

Table of Contents
Acronyms andAbbreviations Executive Summary Section 1 – Historical Background 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Samoza Dynasty (1936-1979) The Sandinista Period (1979-1990) The Chamorro Years (1990-1996) The Alemán Presidency (1996-2001) The Bolaños Presidency (2001-Present) i iii 1 3 4 5 6 6 8 8 9 9 10 11 11 13 13 13 14 15 16 16 16 16 17

Section 2 – The Democracy and Governance Problem 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Consensus Ruleof Law Competition Inclusion Good Governance Distilling the DG Challenge: Clientelistic Politics and Patrimonialistic Governance

Section 3 – Actors, Their Interests, Capacities, and Opportunities for Reform 3.1 Political Parties 3.1.1 The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) 3.1.2 The Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) 3.1.3 A Third Force? Local Government Actors 3.2.1 Mayors andMunicipal Council Members 3.2.2 AMUNIC and Other Municipal Associations 3.2.3 Central Government Actors in the Local Governance Arena Nicaragua’s Military

3.2

3.3

DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE ASSESSMENT IN NICARAGUA

3.4

The Legal Arena 3.4.1 The Courts 3.4.2 The Public Ministry 3.4.3 The Defensoría Pública 3.4.4 The Human Rights Ombudsman Civil Society 3.5.1 NGOs 3.5.2 Labor Unions3.5.3 Business Organizations 3.5.4 Universities The Media The Catholic Church The International Community

17 17 18 18 18 19 19 20 21 22 22 24 14 26 26 26 27 27 28 29 31 31 32 32 32 33 36 36 37 37 39 42 43 46 46

3.5

3.6 3.7 3.8

Section 4 – Arenas 4.1 The Governance Arena 4.1.1 The Legislative Branch 4.1.2 The Executive Branch 4.1.3 Local Government 4.1.4 Accountability, Transparency, and...