Nicaragua Municipal Elections: Daniel Ortega Arrests Opposition Members Running for Local Office

Dictator Daniel Ortega is seeking to further increase his power in Nicaragua with the country's municipal elections. It was described as an "electoral campaign without rallies, demonstrations or even real opposition" as Nicaraguans voted on Sunday.

According to the Associated Press, Ortega and his Sandinista Party already control all three branches of the Nicaraguan federal government, as well as 141 of Nicaragua's 153 municipalities. In the run-up to the elections, Nicaraguan authorities arrested and clamped down on political opponents, many of whom are running against Ortega-backed candidates.

Prensa Latina reported that the elections happened last November 5, and on the ballot are mayors, deputy mayors, and councilors from all 153 municipalities. It is still not clear when the results will be announced, but with virtually no opposition, members of Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front are seen to win a lot of seats. Around 6,000 seats are "up for grabs" with this election.

Nicaragua Elections 'Under Complete Control' of Daniel Ortega's Party

The civic group known as Urnas Abiertas, or Open Ballot Boxes, has reported that at least 17 people have been arrested prior to or during the elections. They also stated that the municipal elections are "under the absolute control" of President Daniel Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front.

Government employees were reportedly pressured to vote, with members of the Sandinista party "keeping tabs" on who had voted. In polling places, there were Sandinista posters or people wearing Sandinista party promotional gear in around 41% of them.

The AP noted that the Sandinista party is now so dominant in Nicaragua that the country is approaching single-party status. Over the last two years, opposition parties have been canceled out completely, and opposition leaders and candidates jailed. Ortega infamously imprisoned everybody who ran against him during the presidential elections earlier.

U.N., Human Rights Groups and Opposition Criticize Municipal Elections in Nicaragua

The Nicaraguan municipal elections have been met with criticism and low voter turnout, according to DW. Hector Mairena, spokesman for the Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco alliance stated that this "confirmed the lack of faith people had in the elections."

The opposition parties have also pointed out that over 755,000 names have disappeared from voter rolls without any explanation. In addition, the Urnas Abiertas group documented 700 instances of political violence, including targeted harassment and threats towards opposition figures this year.

These instances have caught the attention of the United Nations. as the U.N. Human Rights Commissariat urged the Nicaraguan government to stop the arbitrary arrests.

The human rights body stated, "we call on the government to guarantee the political and civic rights of the Nicaraguan people and stop the repression."

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also expressed their concerns and stated that the Nicaraguan government did not have "the minimum conditions necessary" to hold free and fair elections. It also called on the government to stop the repression.

However, the repressions still continued, as some 2,000 nongovernmental organizations and more than 50 media outlets were closed as the government continued to crackdown on dissent. Another 100 civil society organizations were closed Friday.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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