Deadline for candidates to register for Nicaragua’s General election
The deadline for candidates to register for Nicaragua’s upcoming November general election will expire today.
November’s elections, which include the races for the president and vice-president, will be President Daniel Ortega’s third as the incumbent. Since assuming the presidency in 2007, political freedom has dropped alarmingly as the Latin American strongman consolidated power. Crackdowns on opposition increased following 2018’s protests, with Ortega alleging that protests formed part of a foreign power backed coup attempt.
Unsurprisingly, November’s elections are already fraught with controversy and accusations of corruption. Over the last two months the government arrested seven opposition presidential pre-candidates under charges of treason—an eighth went into exile citing threats of arrest.
To feign democracy, expect Ortega to allow non-threatening candidates, such as Oscar Sobalvarro and George Henriquez, to compete in November’s elections. While opposition candidates will likely be closely monitored, Ortega is unlikely to physically suppress all opposition. If Ortega continues suppressing candidates, he risks an expansion of sanctions introduced in March 2020 while Nicaragua faces recovery from the economic havoc wrought by COVID-19. Though quick to allege foreign interference, Ortega previously capitulated to international outcries against authoritarian measures and will likely placate democracy-concerned Western powers by allowing limited opposition.
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