One hundred and fifty-three town halls were at stake in Nicaragua on Sunday (November 6th), and unsurprisingly in the contentious poll, the alliance led by President Ortega’s party won by a huge majority, winning the whole, according to partial results. published earlier this week by the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE).
The “Nicaragua Triunfa” alliance, headed by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) of socialist President Daniel Ortega, won all the municipalities for the first time, including the capital Managua.
It was the CSE that announced it. ” We have successfully concluded a civic and sovereign exercise “, declared the president of the Supreme Electoral Council, Brenda Rocha, in a press conference after the ballot.
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On Sunday, more than 3.7 million voters, from the age of 16, were called upon to elect their mayor, deputies and councillors. According to Cosneil, the participation rate was 57.09%, or an abstention of 42.91%.
An independent observatory, Urnas Abiertas, disputes this score. Based on a poll with a confidence rate of 95%, he estimates abstention at a much higher level, 82.7%.
???️ Daniel Ortega y su esposa, the vicepresidenta Rosario Murillo, se adjudicaron este domingo todas las alcaldías de Nicaragua. El sandinismo instala el régimen de partido único tras unas elecciones sin competencia ni garantías
? @PiruloAr https://t.co/RBTLd5tVCv
— EL PAÍS America (@elpais_america) November 7, 2022
The FSLN was competing alongside four right-wing parties – collaborationists », according to the opposition – and an indigenous party. The Council declared that the Sandinistas obtained 73.70% (more than 1.4 million votes).
For the opposition bloc “Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco”, whose leadership is in exile, the head of state Daniel Ortega led “ this municipal farce to consolidate its absolute control on Nicaragua.
Mr. Ortega, in power since 2007, is accused of authoritarianism and nepotism. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) notes ” lack of minimum conditions ” for some ” free elections ” in this country.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says for its part: concerned by reports that at least eight people were detained during the elections.
In 2021, 76-year-old President Ortega won a fourth consecutive term as head of state. All his potential opponents of weight were absent from the election, or even arrested or forced into exile.
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