Managua Rally Urges Ortega to Stay in Power

MANAGUA, Nicaragua â€”  Shocked, angered and pained by their electoral defeat, thousands of Sandinista militants surrounded a closed-door meeting of their party leadership Tuesday shouting, “We are the army!â€� and “We’ve got the guns!â€�

Demonstrators from organizations such as the Sandinista Youth and Mothers of Heroes and Martyrs joined soldiers and officers of the Sandinista Popular Army, raising their fists overhead in a show of support for President Daniel Ortega. Many refused to believe that the Sandinistas had lost Sunday’s election.

“Fraud, fraud!� they yelled over a deafening display of fireworks. “To the streets with Daniel! Don’t give up power!�

Ortega, who has vowed to respect the election results, emerged from a daylong meeting of the Sandinista National Liberation Front’s party assembly to try to convince his supporters that they could claim a moral triumph from the electoral defeat.

While trying to whip up party spirit, however, Ortega also worked to quiet a simmering rage.

“We do not want war and we will not have it because that is the will of the Sandinista Front,� Ortega told the crowd.

“We are willing to contribute to peace and stability as long as the people are respected and not threatened, as long as there are no acts of revenge, because there is sufficient power in these people to confront and put down those who come with the intention of revenge,� he said.

But he also said, “The great winner of these elections is the Sandinista Front, because we brought democracy here.�

Ortega outlined the party’s position for negotiating a transition of power with the newly elected government of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro of the National Opposition Union (UNO). The demands, approved by the 102-member Sandinista Assembly, include:

* The immediate demobilization of the Contras, the U.S.-backed guerrilla force that has been fighting to unseat the Sandinista government.

* A continuation of agrarian reform, government support for veterans and families of those killed in the Contra war.

* A guarantee of the “integrity and professionalism� of the Sandinista army.

The issue of the armed forces is one of the most difficult facing the two sides. UNO wants to reduce dramatically the size of the 70,000-member army and separate it from the Sandinista Party. But that may be hard to achieve since many members of the regular army fought with the Sandinistas as guerrillas; other soldiers and recruits did battle against the Contras.

Most army units are accompanied by Sandinista political officers, and the military has been a mainstay of Sandinista support.

The crowd Tuesday, with unarmed soldiers and police scattered throughout, clearly meant to flex its political muscle as Sandinista leaders enter into negotiations with the incoming government. The Sandinistas can give up control of the presidency, the demonstrators said, but not control of the army.

“We are still revolutionaries,� said Tony Lopez, 24, a soldier with 10 years in uniform who had lost a brother in the Sandinista-led insurrection to oust dictator Anastasio Somoza.

“Our cause is to help the poor,� he said, touching his hand to his heart. His thumb was still stained with the indelible ink daubed on those who had voted to ensure that they did not vote again.

“We follow the orders of our general. Our general is (Defense Minister) Humberto Ortega,� he said, referring to the president’s brother. The soldiers said they felt confused and saddened by the election that gave Chamorro a sweeping victory with 55% of the vote. Many had lost friends and family in the Contra war. They had never expected that their party would lose.

“We overthrew Somoza, we defended our country for 10 years, and then to think we must serve someone who does not deserve it,� said Lt. Santos Gonzalez.

He shook his head in disbelief.

“We are a disciplined and mature army. But we are not an apolitical army. We are waiting for a decision from our leaders,� he said.

Many of the militants waving red-and-black party flags said they felt betrayed by friends and neighbors who they thought had shared common beliefs. For some of the younger Sandinistas, it was their first experience with defeat. They looked as if the country had just told them that everything they held dear was worthless.

Most of the demonstrators interviewed said they had stayed up all night on Sunday waiting next to the television for official results. The first count--5% of the vote--gave Chamorro an early lead, but they held on to hope. With 30% of the count in, however, they could see that she was far ahead.

Cristina Zeledon, 32, was still awake at 6 a.m. Monday when Ortega made his concession speech.

“I felt as if the blood spilled out of my veins,� Zeledon said.

“I felt betrayed. When Daniel said ‘Free fatherland or death’ at the end, I felt something in my throat and I started to cry. Not because we lost but because I was angry.�

As she spoke, Zeledon’s face tightened and her body tensed. She wore a red-and-black bandanna around her forehead, and her honor pins for militancy in the Juventud Sandinista (Sandinista Youth) and for 10 years of struggle in the Sandinista Front.

During the insurrection, Zeledon said, she fought in the urban trenches of Managua. Her grandmother was killed by Somoza’s National Guard.

“Those who voted for UNO didn’t feel the repression of Somoza. The humble people let themselves be bought with dollars. The UNO took advantage of their poverty,� she said.

In broadcasts on the party’s Radio Sandino over the last two days, many Sandinista callers have vented their anger and some even urged the government to give them guns. Scattered violence broke out Monday night, but the city was calm again on Tuesday and UNO leaders said they expected the outbursts to diminish.

Most of the demonstrators interviewed Tuesday said they do not want violence. Zeledon said she will join the Sandinista Front in a peaceful opposition to the new government.

“I will continue fighting for the Sandinista cause to the end of the world,� she said.

Inside the Sandinista Assembly, members said the party leadership agreed not to dwell on their loss or try to fix blame. They should look ahead, they decided, to negotiations and then life in the opposition.

It was the first meeting of the entire party leadership since Sunday’s defeat. Some members embraced and others cried, said one who attended the meeting.

“I feel a mixture of pain and fury. So many years of sacrifice to overthrow Somoza and we lost an election,� said Rafael Solis, a Sandinista leader in the country’s National Assembly.

SOVIET DIPLOMACY--The Kremlin played a key role in setting up the election. A14