President Chen Shui-bian today spent the second day of his three-day journey to Nicaragua attending the inauguration ceremonies of the new President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega Saavedra, and the new Vice President of Nicaragua, Jaime Morales Carazo, as well as related celebrations. Prior to the inauguration, President Chen met with the heads of state of other allies of the ROC (Taiwan) in Central America and the Caribbean who are in Managua for the festivities. President Chen and his counterparts discussed bilateral relationships and exchanged opinions on issues of mutual concern.
The inauguration ceremonies for Nicaragua's new president and vice president were held at 5:00 p.m. on January 10 local time (7:00 p.m. on January 11 Taipei time). Before the ceremonies, President Chen stopped in courtesy rooms provided to the heads of state attending the event, greeting his counterparts. The president then took his assigned seat for the inauguration ceremony. President Chen was seated between the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sanchez, and the President of Panama, Martin Torrijos Espino. President Chen left his seat for a few moments to shake hands and extend his greetings to former Nicaraguan President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. The master of ceremonies read out the names of the heads of state attending the ceremonies in Spanish alphabetical order.
The inauguration ceremony featured both traditional and modern elements. During the ceremonies, outgoing Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos Geyer passed a ceremonial sash symbolizing presidential authority to the President of the National Assembly, Rene Nunez, who then hung the sash around President Ortega. President Chen along with other heads of state, special envoys and Nicaraguan government officials witnessed the brief ceremony, completing the transfer of power in that nation and marking another step forward in democracy for Nicaragua. In the evening, President Chen attended a celebratory gathering and reception at nearby plazas. He used the occasion to once again extend his congratulations on behalf of the ROC (Taiwan) government and people.
Prior to the inauguration, President Chen met with heads of state from allied nations in the region to carry out bilateral discussions. The president held talks with Honduras President Jose Manuel Zelaya, Belize Prime Minister Said W. Musa, Panama President Martin Torrijos Espino, Nicaragua outgoing President Enrique Bolanos Geyer, and Costa Rica President Oscar Arias Sanchez. In addition to exchanging pleasantries, President Chen and the heads of state discussed bilateral relations and exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues of mutual concern.