OAS countries conclude that elections in Nicaragua do not have democratic legitimacy

The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) passed a resolution declaring that the November 7 presidential elections in Nicaragua “They were not free, fair or transparent and lack democratic legitimacy.”

The resolution asks to instruct the OAS Permanent Council to analyze the situation in the country, make a report before November 30, and then take “appropriate actions.”

The resolution was approved at the end of the 51st General Assembly of the OAS, which was held virtually since Wednesday. Twenty-five countries in the organization voted in favor of the resolution and seven, including Honduras and Mexico, abstained. Nicaragua voted against.

Last Sunday, Nicaragua held a flawed presidential election in which Daniel Ortega was “re-elected” for the third time in a row. They were criticized internationally for the lack of real opposition and the imprisonment and political persecution by the Ortega police of seven presidential hopefuls.

Some OAS countries such as the United States have recently mentioned considering “concrete consequences” for Nicaragua for “abandoning” democracy. Article 21 of the Democratic Charter, for example, says that the body can consider suspending a member state.

Article 20 of the letter says that in the event of a serious alteration of democracy, the Secretary General or any member country is empowered to immediately convene a Permanent Council to assess the situation.

Michael René Campbell, a Nicaraguan representative to the OAS, said before Friday’s vote that “the Nicaraguan people expressed their free will in peaceful elections,” which he described as “one of the most beautiful tasks that (Nicaragua) has undertaken in the last years”.

“The OAS is not our Supreme Electoral Council. The OAS does not have the authority to constitute our voting receiving board. OAS officials are not and should not be political party prosecutors. The OAS is not an arbitrator or auditor of the electoral process. Each town establishes these authorities through its laws, ”Campbell said.

Friday’s resolution also says that Nicaragua ignored or rejected long-standing recommendations that the OAS has made to “promote representative democracy and the protection of human rights.” The document also says that democratic institutions in Nicaragua have been damaged by the Nicaraguan government and calls for the release of political prisoners.

The United States assured Tuesday that Nicaragua is no longer a democracy and is now a dictatorship, in the strongest assertion that the government of President Joe Biden has made to date to refer to the Ortega administration.

The OAS has held its General Assembly virtually, with Guatemala as the host country. The forum, in which delegations from more than 30 countries participate, runs until Friday night under the slogan “For a renewed America.”