WASHINGTON: The United States said Tuesday that it is bringing its charge d’affaires in Managua back to Washington for “critical consultations,” after Nicaragua failed to approve its ambassador-designate. The rejection of Washington’s chosen ambassador Natasha Franceschi “demonstrates their complete unwillingness to engage in productive diplomatic dialogue,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. He noted that charge d’affaires Elias Baumann is returning to Washington at Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s instruction. The denial, he added, “demonstrates the hypocrisy of their rhetoric of mutual respect and their desire to engage in political theater.” The Central American country is ruled with an iron fist by former Sandinista guerrilla and leftist Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo. They tightened their control over the country after 2018 protests, which left 300 dead, according to the UN. In September, Rubio urged international partners to “stop business as usual” with Nicaragua after its legislature voted to ban opposition parties from elections. This was seen as further cementing the autocratic rule of Ortega and Murillo.