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From: myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Jeff Myers)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Nicaraguan Elections
Message-ID: <696@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Jan-85 15:00:18 EST
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Posted: Fri Jan 25 15:00:18 1985
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> []
> 
> The way I heard it was that the contras were allowed
> to participate in the election, but were prohibited
> from using foreign sources of funding, and dropped
> out as a result of this restriction.
> 
> 	Ken

That's more or less correct.  The `contras' themselves were not allowed to
participate, being at war with Nicaragua, but the parties that were more
ideologically in line with the contras dropped out because external funding
was not allowed and because US officials there encouraged them to do so.
All parties were given an equal quantity of money with
which to campaign, and equal public airtime on radio and television.

In the paper just today it was reported that the Nicaraguan assembly has
granted amnesty for all of the contras, including the leaders.  Past offers
of amnesty applied only to the rank-and-file, and 1500 or so accepted.

These offers would have more force if we did not continue to support
terrorism directed at Nicaragua, but the New York Times has reported
recently that aid to the contras from El Salvador and Israel has increased
due to the suspension of US Congressional funding for them.

-- 
Jeff Myers				The views above may or may not
University of Wisconsin-Madison		reflect the views of any other
Madison Academic Computing Center	person or group at UW-Madison.
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