Representatives of the collaborationist political parties that accompanied the ruling Sandinista Front in the voting process on November 7, 2021, were evasive and uninformed about the reimbursement of alleged campaign expenses that they would have to receive in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Law. .
The electoral reimbursement should have been disbursed to these political parties throughout the month of January, in accordance with the provisions of the General Budget of the Republic (PGR). For the voting process of November 7, they were assigned 23.4 million dollars from the PGR for the electoral reimbursement fund of the parties in contention. This fund is financed with 1% of the ordinary income of the PGR for 2021 and is intended to allegedly reimburse electoral campaign expenses incurred by the political parties in contention.
An investigation of CONFIDENTIAL on the assignments that would correspond to the parties who will participate in the elections through electoral reimbursement, revealed that the Sandinista Front, being assigned by the CSE with a supposed overwhelming electoral victory with more than 75% of the votes, would receive the largest “slice” of the electoral reimbursement, with a little more than 17 million dollars.
Reverend Guillermo Osorno claims for delay
The representative and presidential candidate of the Camino Cristino Nicaragüense (CCN) party, Reverend Guillermo Osorno, assured that to date, they have not received the disbursement that corresponds to them. “We have received absolutely nothing. You know the ‘friends’ we have. They are like that, you understand me. They take positions that do not correspond to them, because that is not theirs. That is budgeted from 2020”, answered Osorno. According to the vote allocations made by the CSE, the CCN would have received around 759 thousand dollars.
At the end of the afternoon of November 7, after the polls will close and the Supreme Electoral Council is preparing to give the results in favor of the re-election of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillor, Osorno gave a sudden press conference in which he denounced the Electoral Power for altering the results of the voting to favor the FSLN candidates.
Days after Osorno’s complaint, Telcor, the telecommunications regulator, ordered the cancellation of the operating license of Radio Nexo and Enlace Canal 21, both religious media, whose representative was Osorno. The director of the CCN pointed out that these provisions were in retaliation for his complaint on November 7.
PLC: expenses were concentrated on promoting and defending the vote
Walter Espinoza, candidate of the Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), to which the CSE, controlled by the Sandinista Front, assigned second place in the November votes, also said that this political organization had not received the electoral reimbursement, although he said he did not know about it. the expenses that the PLC had incurred in its campaign.
“We haven’t received it yet. I believe that they are going to deliver it, I suppose that due to all this that has just happened from the inauguration, there have been delays. You know, the swearing-in process and the accommodation of the new authorities, but they must deliver that soon, “ Spinoza added.
“Well, we move on as a political organization. Let’s pay off some debts. I am not sure exactly how much we spend on the electoral campaign, but I know that we focus both on promoting the vote and defending the vote, but I am not sure how much the total amount was, “he added.
Espinoza, upon being assigned second place in the November votes by the CSE, an automatic deputation in the National Assembly was awarded. According to the assigned percentage of votes, the PLC would correspond about 3.3 million dollars.
The presidential candidate of the Alliance for the Republic (APRE) party, Gerson Gutiérrez Gasparín, was reluctant to answer questions about electoral reimbursement. “Please check with the party authorities. I don’t know about that and excuse me that I’m in a meeting, ”he replied when asked.
Carlos Canales protests: Why do I have to confirm them?
Carlos Canales, representative of APRE, also did not want to refer specifically to the issue. “Man, I wish they would rather ask me how I can pay the party’s debts. I have no comments for that. Why do I have to confirm them? Go to the Comptroller’s Office, I have not lent to anyone, ”was his response to the queries.
APRE was the second least voted political party according to CSE assignments. It would correspond to him for electoral reimbursement 409 thousand dollars.
The proper use of the electoral reimbursement for electoral campaign expenses should be reviewed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and the Comptroller General of the Republic, two entities completely subordinate to the Ortega dictatorship.
PLI representative declares himself uninformed
The political party with the least votes according to CSE assignments was the Institutionalist Liberal Party (PLI). His representative and current deputy in the National Assembly, Mario Asencio Flores, said that he had not been informed of the disbursement.
“Well, the accountant still hasn’t told me anything and I don’t have any more information because I haven’t gotten to my office in the Assembly. I have not dedicated myself to looking at this issue and I cannot answer you if I do not have information”, answered the parliamentarian.
The PLI, being the political organization with the fewest allocations of votes by the electoral power, would be awarded in reimbursement concept 401 thousand dollars.
The representative of the other collaborationist party, the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN), the current deputy and member of the Board of Directors of the National Assembly, Alejandro Mejía Ferreti, did not answer the calls to his mobile. This organization would correspond to 724 thousand dollars, in concept of electoral reimbursement.
In May 2021, the Sandinista Front and its Collaborationist political allies approved electoral reformsIt is that among many other points, they eliminated the provision of a minimum 4% of votes in the elections, as a primary requirement to be benefited from the electoral reimbursement.
After these reforms, no matter how many votes are obtained, no matter how small, all the political organizations that participate in the elections will benefit from electoral reimbursement.
If this reform had not been approved, the political parties APRE, PLI, ALN and the CCN would not be entitled to receive an electoral refundtaking into account the vote allocations made by the CSE in the November 2021 votes.
