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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Nicaraguan presidential hopeful Cristiana Chamorro said Monday that the unity of the various opposition forces, currently fragmented, is “imperative” to defeat the country’s president Sandinista Daniel Ortega, in the general elections of next November 7.
“Unity is imperative, and that the (presidential) pre-candidates agree on the mechanism for the selection of a single candidate, as proposed by the Good Will Commission”, said in a message Chamorro Barrios, daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1990-1997) and whom the Sandinista government has opened an investigation for alleged money laundering.
Chamorro says opposition unity is “imperative” to defeat Nicaragua’s Ortega. (Photo internet reproduction)
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
By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
Vials labelled with partially torn sticker AstraZeneca COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine are seen in front of a displayed German flag in this illustration taken March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaragua received a first batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses, health authorities said on Tuesday, touting the inoculations donated through the World Health Organization’s global vaccine-sharing COVAX program.
Officials with the World Health Organization’s Americas branch PAHO said COVAX had donated 135,000 doses and that Nicaragua would receive more shots through the COVAX mechanism at the end of March, but did not specify how many.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Nicaraguan National Assembly (Parliament), controlled by the ruling party, elected this Tuesday the magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), mostly Sandinistas, given the general elections of next November, in which President Daniel Ortega aspires to his third consecutive reelection.
Nicaraguan Parliament elects Sandinistas as electoral arbitrators. (Photo internet reproduction)
The Sandinista legislators and their allies, who have an absolute majority in Congress, reelected as electoral magistrates former guerrilla Lumberto Campbell and Mayra Salinas.
They also elected as electoral arbitrators the “former Sandinista combatant” Brenda Rocha and Alma Nubia Baltodano Marcenaro, sister of the “guerrilla commander” Monica Baltodano.