Nicaragua opposition spotlights Ortega amid blackouts (NicaTimes)

By Tim Rogers - Nica Times Staff

MANAGUA, Nicaragua Just as a nationwide transportation strike was finishing a week that has paralyzed the country and crippled the economy, a renewed energy crisis has led to water rationing here and blackouts lasting from three to seven hours daily.

Striking bus drivers and truckers continued yesterday to keep their ignitions turned off despite a government gesture to slash gas prices for motorists in their sector. Transport sector leaders were expected to sit down yesterday evening with Catholic Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, a well-known negotiator, in talks that could determine if the strike today will enter its second week. Analysts are warning that the strike could escalate into more violence.

But stopped buses and blackouts aren't the only thing paralyzing Nicaragua.

With a government gridlocked by partisan bickering, a judicial system immobilized by striking judges, and a growing lack of confidence among international donors, the opposition is calling on President Daniel Ortega to either assume his responsibility to resolve the worsening crisis, or resign.

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