27 mayo, 2021
Time is running against Nicaraguan opposition leaders, who, after the failure of an electoral alliance, are analyzing a “political agreement” that would allow for unity with reservations.
If they do not reach a successful conclusion, the next elections will be settled in a four-way contest: the Sandinista Front, on one side; a group of collaborationist parties, on the other; and the great blue and white majority split in two: the Citizens’ Alliance with Citizens for Liberty (CxL) on one hand, and the National Coalition with the Democratic Restoration Party (PRD), on the other. Thus, this is the best scenario for the continuity of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in power, in the context of elections under a police state and with the electoral machinery controlled by the FSLN.
What’s new? Three years after the government responded to massive protests with a lethal crackdown, killing hundreds and displacing thousands, Nicaragua approaches its November presidential and legislative elections in a climate of extreme polarisation. State persecution of the fragmented opposition and fears of a skewed election persist amid a prolonged economic slump.
Why does it matter? Although protests have waned since 2019, the grievances underlying the uprising remain unaddressed. Disquiet has grown over President Daniel Ortega’s remoteness and increasingly authoritarian rule. A fraught election could further isolate the government internationally and rekindle domestic unrest.
What should be done? The government should reverse reforms that tilt the playing field and agree with the opposition on measures to ensure a fair poll, while committing to political coexistence after the elections. Foreign powers should push Ortega to run a clean vote and encourage dialogue a
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Coalición Nacional, one of the main opposition organizations in Nicaragua, on Monday extended a unity proposal to its peer, the Alianza Ciudadana, with the aim of standing as a single force against President Daniel Ortega, who is seeking his third consecutive reelection in next November’s elections.
The November elections will be decisive for Nicaragua, as 42 years of Ortega’s almost absolute dominance over national politics will be at stake (Photo internet reproduction)
The Coalición Nacional’s four-point proposal was submitted with a little more than 48 hours left before the deadline for presenting the party alliances before the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), for the elections to be held on November 7th. The deadline expires on Wednesday.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The two main opposition blocs in Nicaragua held negotiations on Monday, May 10, to sign an electoral alliance with a view to next November’s elections, in which the country’s president, Sandinista Daniel Ortega, seeks new reelection.
“The National Coalition, consistent with its firm conviction that the unity of all democratic forces in a broad electoral alliance is a guarantee to confront Orteguismo in next November’s elections successfully, has developed in the last days and hours, all efforts to concretize it with the Citizens’ Alliance” (Photo internet reproduction)
During the negotiations, both the Citizens’ Alliance and the National Coalition verbally agreed to participate in the November 7 elections at the Citizens for Liberty (CxL) party box, the venue of the meetings between the two blocs.