The Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) of Nicaragua announced this morning the provisional results of the questioned presidential elections in the country held on Sunday, November 7, 2021.

According to the official body, the United Nicaragua Triumph Alliance, led by the Sandinista National Front, leads the results with more than 70% of the votes.

The CSE did not report the number of votes counted so far, but it did provide information on counted meetings.

  • Total meetings scrutinized: 49.25%
  • Sandinista Front Alliance: 74.99%
  • Constitutionalist Liberal Party: 14.40%
  • Christian Way: 3.44%

The Supreme Electoral Council reported that it will provide a second report on the election results this Monday starting at 1 pm local time.

On the other hand, Urnas Abiertas, a civil electoral observatory in the country, pointed out that the abstention rates in Sunday’s elections in Nicaragua are between 79% and 84% while the votes continue to be counted. The open ballot count was carried out by 1,450 independent observers and indicates a national average of 81.5% of people who did not vote.

What is elected in Nicaragua and why are the elections criticized?

In these elections, 90 deputies before the National Assembly, and 20 deputies before the Central American Parliament were elected president and vice president of the Republic.

President Daniel Ortega is seeking his third reelection and fourth consecutive term, and his formula faced another five.

The government of Daniel Ortega is criticized for the arrest of opposition leaders.

The process is questioned by the United States, the European Union, the Organization of American States and the United Nations because they consider that there are no conditions for fair, democratic and well-observed elections.

In addition, it was marked by the cancellation of three political parties that would serve as a vehicle for the opposition National Coalition and Citizen Alliance, as well as the arrest of 39 opposition leaders between May 28 and October 21, seven of them aspiring to the Presidency. , who are accused of treason or money laundering, crimes that their relatives and lawyers reject.

Reactions

USA

In a statement, US President Joe Biden called the Nicaraguan elections a “pantomime” and said they were not democratic.

“What Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, orchestrated today was a pantomime of elections that were neither free, fair nor democratic. The arbitrary imprisonment of almost 40 opposition figures since May, including seven possible presidential candidates, and blocking political party participation rigged the outcome long before Election Day, “Biden said.

Likewise, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, condemned the “undemocratic elections” in Nicaragua.

It said in a statement Monday that the United States “will continue to use diplomacy, coordinated actions with regional allies and partners, sanctions and visa restrictions, as appropriate, to promote accountability for accomplices who support undemocratic acts. of the government of Ortega-Murillo “.

United Kingdom

The UK government criticized Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, for the preliminary results of Sunday’s elections.

“The presidential elections that took place in Nicaragua on November 7 were elections in name only. They were neither free nor fair. President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, remain in power only after all the Credible opposition candidates were arrested and barred from running for election, “the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

Chile

The Chilean government did not recognize the Nicaraguan elections on Sunday and pointed out that they did not have the necessary conditions to be valid and transparent.

“Yesterday an electoral act took place in Nicaragua, which lacked all the conditions to be considered valid and transparent. The event took place in the context of serious human rights violations, imprisonment of opposition leaders and candidates, repression of political parties. independent, systematic persecution of leaders and organizations of civil society, absence of international observers and blockade of the media.

“The government of Chile rejects and does not recognize the legitimacy of the elections held in Nicaragua, which aim to eternalize Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in power by consolidating a dictatorial regime,” he said in a statement.

Spain

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, told reporters that the presidential elections in Nicaragua on November 7 were “a mockery.”

Costa Rica

The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, reported on Sunday that his government did not reconsider the elections held in Nicaragua “due to the lack of democratic conditions and guarantees.” as he wrote on Twitter.

Quesada added in the message, which was accompanied by a press release, that “We call on the government to release and restore the rights of political prisoners, as well as the international community to promote dialogue to restore democracy in Nicaragua. “.

Venezuela

In contrast to these positions, the questioned president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, congratulated his counterpart Daniel Ortega for the elections that were held in his country. He described them as a “day of peace” before imperialism.

Bolivia

The Bolivian government welcomed the Nicaraguan elections for the “participation and democratic vocation” of its people.

“The Ministry of Foreign Relations (of Bolivia) salutes the brother Nicaraguan people for their participation and democratic vocation in the electoral process that took place this Sunday, November 7, 2021. We are sure that with the majority participation and respect for the popular vote Democracy is strengthened, as a full exercise of the sovereignty of the people, “he said.

What did Ortega himself say?

The embattled Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, defended his country’s elections on Sunday, affirming that it was a “vote for peace” and a rejection against those who seek “to sow terrorism.”

Ortega held a press conference in the capital, Managua, along with his wife and vice president Rosario Murillo, who is also running for re-election.

“We have the right, as Nicaraguans, to open investigations against terrorists and defend peace. There are some who are conspiring because they did not want these elections to be held today,” he said.

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