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    • Enrique Bolaños Geyer
    President of the Republic of Nicaragua

    When he was inaugurated as Nicaragua's 38th President on January 10, 2001, Enrique Bolaños Geyer pledged to uphold the principles of social justice and the rule of law, to eradicate corruption and promote the modernization of the public sector, and to build a new Nicaragua "where integrity and fairness for all prevail and where all Nicaraguans, from the poorest to the wealthiest, are treated with dignity and respect." There were many who greeted this pledge with skepticism, given the state of Nicaragua's economy and the arrangements arrived at during the previous administration to block reform in the National Assembly and protect the immunity of officials guilty of corruption and betraying the public trust.

    To the surprise of these skeptics, President Bolaños has kept his promise to the Nicaraguan people and has taken the most far-reaching steps in the history of the country to end the corruption and abuse of power that have prevented Nicaragua from fulfilling its potential as an independent and democratic country. In so doing, he has displayed both personal courage and firm democratic conviction, offering a model of presidential leadership that is truly admirable.

    We at the National Endowment for Democracy are gratified but hardly surprised by the performance of President Bolaños. We saw his courage firsthand in the 1980s, when he was a leader in the national struggle to defend human rights and the rule of law, enduring persecution, arbitrary imprisonment, and the confiscation of family property in his service to the cause of democracy in Nicaragua. He has never wavered in his commitment to human freedom and in his solidarity with the underprivileged of Nicaragua-not then and not today.

    For the leadership and integrity he has demonstrated consistently and over time, for his devotion to the people of Nicaragua and their democratic empowerment, for his courage in defending democracy and his civility in pursuing it, the National Endowment for Democracy is honored to present its Democracy Service Medal to President Enrique Bolaños Geyer.

    February 25, 2003
    Washington, D.C.

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