- The current president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, stood out in the criticized presidential election and won his fourth consecutive term.
- Ortega drew severe criticism after imprisoning political opponents before voting, triggering threats of US sanctions.
- International election observers are not allowed to scrutinize the process, and journalists are also barred from entering Nicaragua.
San Jose-Monday’s results showed that for the fourth consecutive term, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega jailed political opponents before voting, triggering threats of US sanctions and international calls for free elections.
Nicaragua’s Supreme Electoral Commission stated that almost all votes were counted. Preliminary statistics showed that Ortega’s Sandinista Alliance won with about 76% of the votes.
In the months leading up to Sunday’s election, as Ortega detained opponents and business leaders and criminalized dissent, the West and many Latin American countries expressed deep concern about the fairness of the vote.
Election observers from the European Union and the Organization of American States were not allowed to scrutinize the process, and journalists were barred from entering Nicaragua.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken stated that his country will cooperate with other democratic governments and is prepared to use a range of tools, including possible sanctions, visa restrictions, and coordinated actions, to combat the “undemocratic behaviors” allegedly involved in supporting the Nicaraguan government. “People.
Democrats in the US Congress urge President Joe Biden to support the so-called Renacer Act, which aims to increase pressure on Ortega and seek to strengthen regional cooperation to promote democratic institutions.
The 27 EU member states issued a statement accusing Ortega of “systematic imprisonment, harassment and intimidation” of opponents, journalists and activists.
The European Union stated that the election “completed the transformation of Nicaragua into an authoritarian regime.” Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain and the United Kingdom called for the release of detained opposition leaders.
Support from Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia
“Elections are neither free, fair, nor competitive,” said Jose Manuel Albares, Spanish Foreign Minister.
In a speech lasting more than an hour on Monday night, Ortega counterattacked the United States and Europe, labeling them “Yankee imperialists.”
Speaking to supporters in the Plaza de Revolution in Managua, Ortega said: “They want to be the head of the Supreme Electoral Council… Count the votes of Nicaraguans.” “Nicaragua will never happen again. Never again. No more, never again.”
Regarding the imprisoned opponent, Ortega said:
They are not Nicaraguans, they have no homeland.
Cuba, Venezuela and Russia have all provided support to Ortega.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that the United States calls on countries not to recognize this result as “unacceptable.”
The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was concerned about the arrest of the opposition leader, but said it maintains the diplomatic tradition of “non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.”
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it will not comment on the election until the official results are announced. A Mexican official who asked not to be named said that Mexico is critical of Ortega’s imprisonment, but supports non-interference in Nicaragua’s affairs.
Former rebels
Ortega’s victory cemented the increasingly repressive political model he established in recent years with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.
Ortega was a Marxist rebel who helped overthrow the dictatorship of the right-wing Somoza family in the late 1970s. He said he was defending Nicaragua against illegal opponents who tried to use foreign power to expel him. His government passed a series of laws to make it easy to prosecute opponents of crimes such as “treason to the motherland”.
Only five little-known candidates allied with Ortega’s Sandinista party, most of which were small parties, and were allowed to compete with him.
“Most people I know decided not to vote. They said it was crazy,” said Naomi, a government opponent from the eastern port of Bluefields, who refused to give her surname out of fear of retaliation.
“What they are doing here is a joke.”
Nicaragua’s electoral authorities stated that the turnout rate was 65%.
The election is “a farce”
In the 1980s, Ortega served a presidency before being rejected. He returned to the top position in 2007.
After initially achieving solid economic growth and attracting private investment, the Ortega government changed direction in response to anti-government protests in 2018. In the ensuing crackdown, more than 300 people were killed.
Since then, tens of thousands of Nicaraguans have fled the country. Many of them gathered in neighboring Costa Rica on Sunday to show their contempt for Ortega.
The long-term dissatisfaction is expected to drive more immigration to Costa Rica and the United States, and the number of Nicaraguans arrested at the border this year hit a record high.
Haydee Castillo, a human rights activist who was arrested in 2018 and now living in the United States, called the election “a farce.”
“Despite the resolutions and statements made by the international community, he did not acknowledge anything,” Castillo said.
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