Disgraced former President Arnoldo Alemán Wednesday denied that he is involved in a secret political negotiation with the Sandinista Front (FSLN) to give the ruling party control over the National Assembly in exchange for his unconditional freedom.

“My liberty is not subject to any type of negotiation,” said the boss of the opposition Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC), who is currently serving out a 20-year prison term under house arrest for corruption.

The PLC on Wednesday reiterated its position that it will not renegotiate the terms of its aging power-sharing pact with the Sandinistas, despite growing speculation that the two majority parties are up to back room antics.

The National Assembly has been paralyzed for more than two months following the explosive Nov. 9 municipal elections, in which the Liberals claim the Sandinistas stole 44 mayoral seats, leading to weeks of street violence. Though the assembly was supposed to reconvene Jan. 10 to elect its new directorate, neither of the two parties have been able to come up with the 47 votes needed to elect their candidates, so the legislature remains shutdown.

Meanwhile, local news media Wednesday reported that the Sandinistas, who already control three of the four branches of government, are trying to negotiate control over the National Assembly in exchange for Alemán's freedom.

Alemán, however, insists he is innocent and says his freedom is a demand, not a bargaining chip.

“My human rights are being violated by the Nicaraguan judicial system,” Alemán said. “I am a political prisoner of the FSLN.”

With the National Assembly scheduled to meet Friday to try again to elect its new directorate, rumors have been swarming about backroom shenanigans.

Liberal lawmaker Enrique Quiñonez told The Nica Times yesterday that if the Liberal alliance is able to win control of the National Assembly, the first act of business on the year will be to put forward a law to annul the Nov. 9 municipal elections. Meanwhile, the Sandinista-controlled Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) yesterday swore-in 105 new Sandinista mayors, deepening the country's political crisis.

Read Friday's Nica Times, an eight-page publication of The Tico Times, for more on this story.