On Wednesday, Nov. 10, President Joe Biden signed the Reinforcing Enforcement of Conditions for Electoral Reform in Nicaragua (RENACER) Act into law to extend the imposition of sanctions on Nicaragua. This comes three days after the announcement of Daniel Ortega's presidential victory, which Biden called a "pantomime." 

 

This regulation seeks to apply "sanctions against the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega," said the White House, and assured that the document allows "restricting multilateral bank loans and combating corruption."

In a statement, Biden thanked the "leadership" of legislators that pushed for the initiative, which passed last week with broad bipartisan support.

 

They include Senators Dick Durbin, the number two Democrat in the upper chamber, and Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

 

The RENACER Act gives Biden broad powers to impose sanctions on Nicaragua, including exclusion from the Free Trade Agreement, in addition to introducing an arsenal of measures to address what are seen as acts of corruption and human rights violations by the Ortega administration.

 

The Act also commits the United States to expand sanctions on Nicaragua, in coordination with the Government of Canada and the European Union, and expands oversight of lending by international financial institutions to the country.

 

With the RENACER Act, Nicaragua will be added to the list of Central American countries subject to U.S. visa restrictions related to corruption.

 

Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega has been in power since 2007. With his victory on Sunday, Nov. 7, his fourth consecutive term begins.

 

After learning the result, Biden reviewed the imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition leaders since May — including the seven possible candidates for the presidency — and the veto to the participation of other parties, in addition to the abuses to members of the press and civil society activists, as well as thousands of exiles.