Tears Well at Ortega’s Eulogy for the Revolution

At the end, fat tears sparkled in the eyes of Daniel Ortega when his wife hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek.

But with a stoicism that marked a dignified and reflective speech resembling nothing more than a valedictory, the defeated president and revolutionary guerrilla commander held them back.

His chin quivered for an instant at his closing exhortation today to continue “Forward!” If he had blinked, the tears would have trickled down his face.

But he clasped his wife’s hand, then rose and raised his arms and, astonishingly, smiled broadly--apparently genuinely convinced that indeed, as he had just said, the Sandinista project was, despite electoral defeat, a giant stride for Nicaragua’s people.

“I believe that in this historic moment the principal contribution we Sandinistas, we Nicaraguan revolutionaries, can make to the Nicaragua people is the guarantee of a pure and clean electoral process, which warms our consciences,” Ortega said.

“Would that this sun rising this 26th of February illuminate the path toward the consolidation of democracy, of a mixed economy, of a free Nicaragua independent and democratic, in peace, not interfered with by any foreign power,” he said.

“The election will test the will of Sandinista revolutionaries, who never have sought to cling to power, who were born poor and will be satisfied to die poor.”

Ortega said nothing, however, about the United National Opposition, except to list its vote total.

While there were words of praise and thanks for fellow Sandinistas, he spoke not at all about his own political future or the party’s future--whether there would be an attempt at reconciliation or a clash.

Nor did he mention the United States and its long record of hostility, except as a sidelight and object of Sandinista struggle.

He and his colleagues, many with clenched fists raised, withdrew from the hall to the strains of the Sandinista hymn and the refrain “Free fatherland, victory or death.”

To some, the speech could not help but seem a sort of eulogy for what once had been or still was a symbol--the Nicaraguan revolution--laid out in a wake.

Many of those on hand had spent the entire night in the Olaf Palme convention center awaiting definitive results of Sunday’s election.

Ortega, 44, finally appeared shortly after 6 a.m. accompanied by his wife, Rosario Murillo, Vice President Sergio Ramirez, Cmdr. Bayardo Arce and other top revolutionaries.

Scores of people among the hundreds of reporters and international pro-Sandinista solidarity workers listening to the extemporaneous address could not dominate the lump in their throat.

Many wept openly.