Nicaragua: Part II

So, we were discussing politics.

This is Nicaragua's flag:

It was adopted in 1971, according to this website. With the creation of the FSLN (Frente Sandinista Liberación Nacional), Nicaragua underwent a major civil war. The Sandinista Front needed a banner under which to march:

or

The group was started by Carlos Fonseca against the Somoza dictatorships. Like I said, there was a war. When the FSLN's candidate Daniel Ortega won the presidency in 1984, it was declared a victory of the Revolution. After Daniel Ortega's first term, he ended up losing 3 consecutive times. It was after the third, legend has it, that Ortega actually asked a Northamerican interior designer what was wrong with his approach to politics that he wasn't winning. The designer thought it was the colors of the FSLN flag Ortega sported on his platform--the colors were too bold. With that, Ortega changed the "official" colors to a baby pink and Easter yellow. They can be seen on all propaganda signs throughout the city. (Please visit this site for more Nicaraguan political flags).

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UPDATE: There is also a theory about Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, being the cause for the change. Murillo is well known for her jumbled theology that mixes the teachings of Indian Guru Sai Baba, the teachings of Jesus Christ, Gen. Sandino's personal philosophy, and some native indigenous beliefs. According to the theory, she suggested the change to pastels because they channel positive energy.

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After Ortega won the presidency again in 2006, a small group of Sandinistas broke off of the main group. They call themselves the Movimiento Renovación Sandinista (MRS), or the Sandinista Renovation Movement. Their new colors are orange and black, but I couldn't find a picture on the web...

Led by Dora María Tellez, who fought as a guerrilla in the FSLN, the party protests Ortega's presidency, saying it is becoming a dictatorship.

This post is long enough! Next up: more -itos!