Nicaraguan lawmakers vote to open the door to water privatization

FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing a protective face mask to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks in front of a picture of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vicepresident Rosario Murillo in Managua, Nicaragua March 27, 2020.REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas/File Photo

MANAGUA (Reuters) - The Nicaraguan parliament, controlled by the party of leftist President Daniel Ortega, on Thursday approved a reform that will open the door to the privatization of drinking water services in the Central American nation.

Seventy lawmakers from the ruling party voted to amend the law in order to permit concessions for private companies to deliver drinking water and sanitation services in some areas of the country. Sixteen abstained.