A top U.S. State Department official on Tuesday discussed with Nicaraguan lawmakers attempts to remove President Enrique Bolanos from office and recent electoral gains by the country's leftist party. Dan Fisk, deputy assistant secretary of state, arrived in Nicaragua on Monday and met with seven members of the ruling Liberal Constitutionalist Party. After the meeting, lawmaker Wilfred Navarro said Fisk didn't offer suggestions or recommendations, but expressed «concern with what is happening in the country.» Bolanos is under pressure to leave office amid charges by the federal controller's office that he failed to explain the origin of US$7 million (¤7.7 million.) Bolanos lost the support of the Liberal Constitutionalists after his anti-corruption campaign landed his predecessor, Arnoldo Aleman, in jail. The president maintains that current corruption accusations against him stem partly from his anti-corruption campaign against Aleman, and other Central American leaders have expressed concern about attempts to remove Bolanos from office.
