Fall of a Key Ally Weakens Ortega and Murillo’s International Circle
The electoral defeat of Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for more than two decades, represents a serious blow to the Ortega-Murillo regime. Gonsalves, a central figure of the Caribbean left and a loyal ally of Managua and Caracas, lost in a landslide: the opposition party won 14 out of 15 seats, leaving the ruling party with just one.
For Ortega and Murillo, the loss is strategic. Gonsalves was one of the few leaders who defended their fraudulent elections, denied the repression, and voted against human rights resolutions. With his departure, their circle of allies is reduced essentially to Cuba and a Venezuela weakened by sanctions and increasing international pressure.
The bloc that once served as a diplomatic shield is quickly eroding. When people vote, the accomplices fall. And today, the music of authoritarianism is left with no one to dance to it.
