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Nicaragua The Sandinista Revolution
A mediation process led by the OAS collapsed during
January
1979, when President Somoza refused to hold a national
plebiscite
and insisted on staying in power until 1981. As fighting
increased, the Nicaraguan economy faced a severe economic
crisis,
with a sharp decline in agricultural and industrial
production,
as well as high levels of unemployment, inflation, defense
spending, and capital flight. The government debt also
increased
mostly as a result of defense expenditures and the gradual
suspension of economic support from all international
financial
institutions.
On February 1, 1979, the Sandinistas established the
National
Patriotic Front (Frente Patriótico Nacional--FPN), which
included
Los Doce, the PLI, and the Popular Social Christian Party
(Partido Popular Social Cristiano--PPSC). The FPN had a
broad
appeal, including political support from elements of the
FAO and
the private sector. After the formal unification of the
Sandinista guerrillas in March, heavy fighting broke out
all over
the country. By then the FSLN was better equipped, with
weapons
flowing from Venezuela, Panama, and Cuba, mostly through
Costa
Rica. The FSLN launched its final offensive during May,
just as
the National Guard began to lose control of many areas of
the
country. In a year's time, bold military and political
moves had
changed the FSLN from one of many opposition groups to a
leadership role in the anti-Somoza revolt.
On June 18, a provisional Nicaraguan government in
exile,
consisting of a five-member junta, was organized in Costa
Rica.
Known as the Puntarenas Pact, an agreement reached by the
new
government in exile called for the establishment of a
mixed
economy, political pluralism, and a nonaligned foreign
policy.
Free elections were to be held at a later date, and the
National
Guard was to be replaced by a nonpartisan army. The
members of
the new junta were Daniel José Ortega Saavedra of the
FSLN,
Moisés Hassan Morales of the FPN, Sergio Ramírez Mercado
of Los
Doce, Alfonso Robelo Callejas of the MDN, and Violeta
Barrios de
Chamorro, the widow of La Prensa's editor. Panama
was the
first country to recognize the junta. By the end of June,
most of
Nicaragua was under FSLN control, with the exception of
the
capital. President Somoza's political and military
isolation
finally forced him to consider resignation. The
provisional
government in exile released a government program on July
9 in
which it pledged to organize an effective democratic
regime,
promote political pluralism and universal suffrage, and
ban
ideological discrimination--except for those promoting the
"return of Somoza's rule." By the second week of July,
President
Somoza had agreed to resign and hand over power to
Francisco
Maliano Urcuyo, who would in turn transfer the government
to the
Revolutionary Junta. According to the agreement, a
cease-fire
would follow, and defense responsibilities would be shared
by
elements of the National Guard and the FSLN.
On July 17, 1979, Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigned,
handed
over power to Urcuyo, and fled to Miami. The former
Nicaraguan
dictator then established residence in Paraguay, where he
lived
until September 1980, when he was murdered, reportedly by
leftist
Argentine guerrillas. After President Somoza left
Nicaragua in
1979, many members of the National Guard also fled the
country,
seeking asylum in neighboring countries, particularly in
Honduras
and Guatemala. Others turned themselves in to the new
authorities
after the FSLN took power, on promises of amnesty. They
were
subsequently tried and many served jail terms. The
five-member
junta arrived in the city of León a day after Somoza's
departure,
on July 18. Urcuyo tried to ignore the agreement
transferring
power, but in less than two days, domestic and
international
pressure drove him to exile in Guatemala. On July 19, the
FSLN
army entered Managua, culminating the Nicaraguan
revolution. The
insurrection left approximately 50,000 dead and 150,000
Nicaraguans in exile. The five-member junta entered the
Nicaraguan capital the next day and assumed power,
reiterating
its pledge to work for political pluralism, a mixed
economic
system, and a nonaligned foreign policy.
Data as of December 1993
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