September 3, 2004

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Roberto Sarria, Evangelical candidate for the mayor of the capital city of Nicaragua, said that he expects to receive 200,000 votes from Evangelical Christians in this city.

If we win in Managua we will also win the rest of the municipalities in the country, with the power of prayer, because 80 percent of our candidates in municipal elections are pastors, he affirmed.

Sarria is a business administrator and pastor of the Assemblies of God Adoration Center Church. After a thanksgiving service for his candidacy, he presented his government plan. He was accompanied by his candidate for vice Mayor Eduardo Centeno, who has 19 years of pastoral experience.

Some 450 sympathizers sang songs of worship to God the service during which Pineda presented Sarria's plan, stating that the first thing the new mayor will do is restore spiritual and moral values so that the capital has a new face.

Pineda called for support for Sarria's candidates in a giant mobilization and to covert it into a Revolution for Christ, because it is the only thing that can change the hearts of men.

He alerted those present, among them many taxi drivers to defend their vote in the municipal elections because they are sure that in each of the 1,000 Evangelical Churches in the capital Sarria will garner at least 200 votes.

Sarria offered to immediately resolve the water rationing and restore the environment, putting an end to existing dumps in order to have a cleaner and healthier capital.

He added that collaboration with Christian bodies abroad will impel community projects.

The program contemplates strengthening citizen security, with more police positions, whose work will be strengthened with the work of pastors and priests as spiritual guides, to rescue young people with gang problems.

He said that for young people he promises to create recreational areas in all the neighborhoods and to maintain children's parks. Young people with top marks in schools will be given scholarships to study in universities.

At the same time, an effort will be made to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods, increasing basic health and education services, together with the private sector.

Centeno, pastor of the 350-member Christian Church, carries out humanitarian work, attending 55 elderly people and 950 children in the Municipality of Tipitapa, 25 kms north of Managua.

ALC News Service