Original article: “La democracia no admite excepciones”: Grupo de Puebla condena a Ortega y rechaza intervenciones y sanciones contra Nicaragua

«Democracy Allows No Exceptions»: Puebla Group Condemns Ortega and Rejects Interventions Against Nicaragua

The Puebla Group, composed of progressive leaders, asserted that «democracy allows no exceptions» and voiced their condemnation of the recent statements by Daniel Ortega on July 19, where he announced the end of electoral processes in Nicaragua and rejected any form of intervention or sanctions against the Central American nation.

«President Daniel Ortega’s announcement that there will be no more elections in Nicaragua represents a blatant breach of the most fundamental democratic principles. No political project, regardless of its origin or history, can stand above the sovereign right of the people to freely choose their leaders and peacefully determine their future. Democracy allows no exceptions and cannot become a concession of power,» stated 15 members of the forum in a press release.

«The Puebla Group urgently calls on Nicaraguan authorities to correct their course, restore democratic guarantees, and ensure free, competitive elections with full rights for all political forces,» they added in the document.

They also stated that «democracy, human rights, and the rule of law must be defended with the same conviction, without double standards and regardless of the ideological stance of the current government».

The statement was signed by former presidents Alberto Fernández (Argentina) and Rafael Correa (Ecuador), along with notable political figures from Latin American countries, including the coordinator of the Puebla Group, Marco Enríquez-Ominami (Chile); Mercosur parliamentarian, Cecilia Nicolini (Argentina); national deputy, Eduardo Valdés (Argentina); president of Progresa Foundation, Camilo Lagos (Chile); former senator Beatriz Paredes (Mexico); national deputy Johanna Ortega (Paraguay); and senator Clara López (Colombia).

Also included were Carlos Ominami, former economy minister in Chile; Sonia Gutierrez Raguay, national deputy in Guatemala; Rafael Michelini, former senator from Uruguay; Ana Isabel Prera, former culture minister and former ambassador in Guatemala; Esperanza Martínez, senator from Paraguay; and Aída García Naranjo, former minister of Women and Social Development in Peru.

Puebla Group Rejects Any Interventionist Intent to Justify Military Intervention in Nicaragua

Progressive leaders expressed their opposition to external interference threatening Latin American regional stability and emphasized their commitment to promoting projects based on democratic principles.

«It is clear that democracy in Latin America is seriously perverted by external interference, disinformation campaigns, electoral fraud, the proliferation of bots aimed at misleading voters and abhorrent campaign practices. However, the challenge for progressivism is to overcome these powers without succumbing to their vices and thus build genuine national projects that are truly democratic for the common good,» they asserted.

In the statement, they also expressed that they oppose using Ortega’s statements as a pretext for foreign governments to employ them as an excuse for military interventions, referencing the aggression carried out on January 3 by former President Donald Trump’s administration against Venezuela, which led to the abduction of the country’s constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores.

«The Puebla Group rejects any interventionist intention to use Daniel Ortega’s recent speech to justify military interventions, invasions, or economic sanctions that affect the sovereignty and human rights of the Nicaraguan people,» they emphasized.