With the denunciation of at least eight people “arbitrarily” detained in four departments of Nicaragua, the scheduled municipal elections in the Central American country began this Sunday.
For this process, more than 3 million Nicaraguans are summoned, who must elect the mayors, deputy mayors and councilors of the 153 municipalities of the country.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged the government of President Daniel Ortega on its Twitter account to “guarantee the civil and political rights of the Nicaraguan people, as well as an end to repression.”
The United States anticipated “another electoral farce,” according to the State Department’s undersecretary for Latin America, Brian Nichols, who said on Friday that “Nicaraguans will once again be denied the right to exercise their vote freely, in municipal elections.” .
Nichols expressed this by referring to the fact that the main opposition leaders are in jail.
Also read: Nicaragua holds municipal elections on Sunday
Anomalies and political proselytizing outside of time
According to a report presented this Saturday by the independent organization Open Ballot Boxesthese elections are marked, among other elements, by a series of complaints of “coercion of the vote, political violence against the opposition population, false news to cause citizens to vote through fear.”
Nicaraguan exiles protest in Costa Rica and satirize municipal elections
A group of Nicaraguan opponents exiled in Costa Rica, protested this Sunday, November 6, that municipal elections are being held in this Central American country. With banners and satire, they demanded “free and transparent elections” and the release of political prisoners.
The organization also reported that they have received complaints of violations of the “electoral silence” contemplated in the Electoral Law, which establishes that 72 hours before voting day all campaign activity must cease.
However, according to Urnas Abiertas, the ruling FSLN has broadcast radio cartoons, made programs with its candidacies and spread campaign messages through social networks.
The Supreme Electoral Council has said, for its part, that this process will be “a democratic exercise” in which the operation of “the people’s vote” will be guaranteed.
Government spokeswoman and Vice President Rosario Murillo also stressed on Friday that Nicaraguans will choose “to strengthen our popular democracy to continue developing all programs to fight poverty.”
In addition to the official Sandinista National Liberation Front, the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) will also participate; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN); Alliance for the Republic (APRE) and the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) and the Yatama indigenous party. All considered by the opposition as collaborators.
While another block of parties that were outlawed in 2021 were left out of the race such as the Conservative Party, the Democratic Restoration Party and Citizens for Freedom.
“There is no institutional authority that is capable of providing any guarantee that this process is taking place under democratic conditions,” he told the voice of america, Pedro Fonseca, specialist in electoral issues.
How many mayorships will the ruling party obtain this time?
Currently the ruling party controls 135 mayoralties of the 153 that exist throughout the country. In addition to the capital, Managua, the most important cities are León, Granada, Estelí and Matagalpa, and are under his command.
Unlike other countries in the region, there will be no observers from the Carter Center, the Organization of American States or the European Union in Sunday’s elections.
After the development of the election and the closing of the voting centers, starting at 8 at night, the Supreme Electoral Council will begin to give the first results.
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