Russian Warships Arrival in Nicaragua Provokes Controversy

Original: Russian Warships Arrival in Nicaragua Provokes Controversy

After Venezuela to Nicaragua.
Three Russian navy ships arrived off Nicaragua's Caribbean coast despite objections by opposition lawmakers, who said the constitution requires congressional approval for such a visit.
The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support vessels - carrying a crew of 650 - arrived Friday off Nicaragua's southern Caribbean coast, where they were received by Moscow's ambassador to Nicaragua, Igor Kondrashev, and Nicaraguan navy commander Adm. Juan Santiago Estrada, Latin American herald tribune reports.
source: Latin American herald tribune
The ships arrived from Panama, where they had stocked up on provisions after taking part at the beginning of this month in joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy.

The vessels docked nine miles east of El Bluff port in the So plied with the constitution in issuing an executive decree - already published in the official gazette - authorizing the arrival in Nicaraguan waters of the Russian ships.

However, that decree has not been ratified by Congress, as is required by the constitution, because the legislative body's sessions have been suspended for a month due to a dispute over municipal elections that the opposition says were marred by fraud.

The governing leftist Sandinistas won 105 of the 146 mayoral races in the Nov. 9 balloting.

The Liberal opposition has demanded a recount and even new balloting in some municipalities under the supervision of independent international observers, but election officials have certified the results.

Russia's navy deployment to Nicaragua's close ally, Venezuela, was the first to the Caribbean since the Cold War and came after Moscow expressed its anger over Washington's move to send Navy vessels to Georgia during that country's re