[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 17 (Tuesday, February 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF A HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING THE 
         REPUBLIC OF NICARAGUA ON HOLDING DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. AMO HOUGHTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 1997

  Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with a group of 
colleagues, to introduce a concurrent resolution which does primarily 
two things: First, it congratulates the Republic of Nicaragua on 
holding democratic elections to elect an entirely new government, and 
second, it celebrates the peaceful swearing-in of a new President in 
Nicaragua. Along with me as original cosponsors of this resolution are 
Ben Gilman, who is chairman of the House International Relations 
Committee, Elton Gallegly and Gary Ackerman, the incoming chairman and 
ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Cass 
Ballenger, my colleague on the International Relations Committee. I 
thank them for their support and assistance in putting this bill 
together.
  My interest in Nicaragua started in 1988, when I first traveled there 
with a delegation of educators from my district to promote the values 
of education, and set up a private scholarship program for Nicaraguan 
students to study in the United States. While there, I met an 
extraordinary woman named Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, the wife of 
Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, who was then editor of La Prensa. Two years 
later, I revisited Nicaragua with Elliott Richardson as part of the 
United Nations' Electoral Observation team to witness Violeta 
Chamorro's victory in Nicaragua's first democratic elections.
  I returned again in 1993 with Priscilla and two of my grandchildren 
to see for ourselves the tremendous changes that Nicaragua had 
undergone under her steady and courageous leadership. In September of 
1995, we hosted a luncheon for President Chamorro here in the Capitol 
where, joined by Senators Claiborne Pell and Tom Harkin, and 
Congressmen Torres and Bill Richardson, we continued our discussion of 
the far-reaching changes that Nicaragua had undergone in the past 5 
years.
  On October 20, 1996, democratic elections were held across Nicaragua 
to elect an entirely new government. Over 80 percent of the country's 
2.4 million eligible voters cast their ballots for the President and 
Vice President, National Assembly and Central American Parliament 
Deputies, and mayors. These elections were not perfect--there were 
complications and irregularities in the process--yet a large group of 
international and domestic observers declared that the elections were 
ultimately free and fair, and a legitimate expression of the will of 
the people of Nicaragua.
  The candidate of the Liberal Alliance Party, Arnoldo Aleman, who was 
previously mayor of Managua, was elected President by a margin of 49 to 
38 percent over Daniel Ortega, the leader of the Sandinista Front 
[FSLN]. Aleman's alliance did not win an outright majority in the 
National Assembly, which leaves the Sandinistas with sufficient 
representation to be the country's leading opposition party.
  On January 10, 1997, representatives from the United States and 
around the world witnessed the peaceful transition of the power of the 
presidency from Violeta Chamorro to Arnoldo Aleman. President Aleman 
immediately promised to continue the economic and social reforms 
started by the Chamorro administration, and most importantly, to work 
together with the other political parties to build a lasting peace and 
democracy in Nicaragua.
  Mr. Speaker, the new Nicaragua is a country to be proud of. It is a 
success story. From a society bitterly divided by years of conflict 
comes a stable government with all of the new freedom that evolves 
along with democratization. Are there still problems in Nicaragua? 
Absolutely. The road to a lasting peace and democracy is a long one. 
There is no final destination. This bill recognizes that Nicaragua has 
come a long way since the turmoil of the 1980's. It also reaffirms the 
United States' commitment to promoting democracy throughout the Western 
Hemisphere.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope you and all of my colleagues will join me today 
in congratulating the people of Nicaragua on the success of their 
elections.

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