109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 252
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Govern-
ment of the United States should support democ-
racy, the rule of law, and human rights in the 
Republic of Nicaragua and work cooperatively 
with regional and international organizations to 
bolster Nicaraguan efforts to establish the req-
uisite conditions for free, fair, transparent, and 
inclusive presidential and legislative elections in 
2006.
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 252
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the United States is strongly committed to pro-
moting democracy and the rule of law through the demo-
cratically elected government and the civil society of 
Nicaragua; 
Whereas the Democratic Charter of the Organization of 
American States, of which the United States and Nica-
ragua are signatories, stipulates that ‘‘[t]he peoples of
•HCON 252 EH 
the Americas have a right to democracy and their govern-
ments have an obligation to promote and defend it’’; 
Whereas after experiencing a revolution, loss of personal lib-
erties, destruction of property, and economic instability a 
quarter century ago, the people of Nicaragua are com-
mitted to maintaining a democratic form of government 
that functions democratically and whose branches of gov-
ernment respect the rule of law and human rights; 
Whereas in November 2001, during the last national election, 
approximately 90 percent of voters in Nicaragua turned 
out to vote, indicating a strong commitment to a free 
electoral process and self determination; 
Whereas international observers, including representatives 
from the National Democratic Institute, the International 
Republican Institute, the Carter Center, and the Organi-
zation of American States, monitored the Nicaraguan 
elections of November 2001 and determined that the elec-
tions met minimum international standards and that the 
outcome reflected the will of the Nicaraguan people; 
Whereas ex-President Arnoldo Aleman and Sandinista Lib-
eration Front (FSLN) leader Daniel Ortega entered into 
an agreement, which is widely known throughout Nica-
ragua as ‘‘the Pact,’’ to exploit the legislative powers of 
the National Assembly to undermine the Nicaraguan 
Constitution, the Presidency of Enrique Bolan˜os Geyer, 
and key institutions of representative democratic govern-
ance; 
Whereas polls indicate that an overwhelming percentage of 
Nicaraguans oppose the Aleman-Ortega Pact, and tens of 
thousands of Nicaraguans have taken to the streets in 
the past year to call for an end to the Pact;
•HCON 252 EH 
Whereas in September 2005, the Secretary General of the 
Organization of American States warned that the at-
tempt by the Nicaraguan national legislature to strip 
President Enrique Bolan˜os Geyer’s ministers and other 
senior government officials of their official immunity had 
created circumstances that would have made the country 
ungovernable and generated endless conflict; 
Whereas with regard to the attempt by the National Assem-
bly through the operation of the Aleman-Ortega Pact to 
undermine the privileges of the Nicaraguan executive 
branch, the Organization of American States urged, in 
the strongest possible terms, that ‘‘the parties concerned 
enter into a broad and constructive dialogue, free of pres-
sures and threats’’ and that the parties ‘‘respect the 
mandate freely conferred upon President Enrique 
Bolan˜os Geyer and the other elected officials by the Nica-
raguan people’’; 
Whereas the National Assembly, in reaction to pressure from 
the international community, in October 2005, voted 
unanimously to delay until after the term of President 
Enrique Bolan˜os Geyer expires in January 2007, the en-
actment of these constitutional amendments by approving 
the Framework Law for the Stability and Governability 
of the Country (Framework Law); 
Whereas, although the enactment and implementation of the 
Framework Law has reduced the political tensions in 
Nicaragua, the practical effect of the Pact remains large-
ly intact as Arnoldo Aleman and Daniel Ortega continue 
to wield near total control over the National Assembly, 
the Supreme Court, the Electoral Council, and the Comp-
troller’s Office, and the Human Rights ombudsman’s of-
fice;
•HCON 252 EH 
Whereas free, fair, transparent, and inclusive electoral proc-
esses, in conjunction with strong adherence to the con-
stitution and democratic institutions, are the bulwark 
against anti-democratic forces; 
Whereas presidential and legislative elections in Nicaragua 
are scheduled to be held in October 2006; and 
Whereas the prerequisites for free, fair, transparent, and in-
clusive elections have not yet been met, including secur-
ing a sufficient number of credible national and inter-
national observers, completing the distribution of voter 
identification cards, and ensuring that all qualified and 
willing candidates are permitted to contest the elections: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That—
(1) Congress—
(A) condemns the continued operation of 
the Aleman-Ortega Pact as detrimental to de-
mocracy in the Republic of Nicaragua, the fu-
ture of democracy in Nicaragua, and the sta-
bility of the entire region; 
(B) denounces the previous attempts by 
the National Assembly to encroach unconsti-
tutionally upon the powers of the executive 
branch, undermine the governability of the 
country, and advance the personal ambitions of 
some of its current and former members;
•HCON 252 EH 
(C) applauds the diplomatic efforts of the 
Organization of American States (OAS) and 
the Secretary-General of the OAS for dem-
onstrating the viability of the Inter-American 
Charter as an increasingly effective instrument 
in the Western Hemisphere for overcoming ob-
stacles that impede institutions, whether such 
institutions are executive, legislative, or judicial 
in nature, from governing democratically; 
(D) concurs with the convening of a broad 
National Dialogue to address the challenges 
that confront the Nicaraguan people as they at-
tempt to build a more effective democracy; and 
(E) supports the efforts of the Government 
of Nicaragua and civil society to create the nec-
essary conditions for free, fair, transparent, and 
inclusive elections in 2006, including by having 
effective and robust monitoring missions by the 
Organization of American States and other 
international observers, supporting the training 
of domestic election observers, assisting in the 
auditing of voter rolls to ensure accuracy, pro-
moting the complete distribution without dis-
crimination of proper voter identification docu-
ments, and encouraging the lawful inclusion of
•HCON 252 EH 
all qualified candidates in the electoral contests; 
and 
(2) it is the sense of Congress that—
(A) it should be the policy of the United 
States to support democracy, the rule of law, 
and human rights in Nicaragua and work coop-
eratively with regional and international organi-
zations to bolster Nicaraguan efforts to estab-
lish the requisite conditions for free, fair, trans-
parent, and inclusive presidential and legislative 
elections in 2006; 
(B) it should be the policy of the United 
States to work through the Organization of 
American States and other regional and inter-
national organizations to encourage political ele-
ments within Nicaragua to preserve, protect, 
and defend the letter and spirit of that coun-
try’s constitution; and 
(C) to the extent that electoral or democ-
racy and governance assistance is provided, the 
President of the United States should ensure 
that such assistance is provided only for the 
purposes of training election observers and en-
suring the integrity of the electoral process as 
requested by the President of Nicaragua, that
•HCON 252 EH 
such assistance be provided through nongovern-
mental organizations on a non-partisan basis in 
the United States and Nicaragua, and that the 
details of such assistance be made public on a 
timely basis to promote transparency and ac-
countability in both countries.
Passed the House of Representatives December 14, 
2005. 
Attest:
Clerk.