On November 7, Daniel Ortega will seek to extend his 14 consecutive years in power, without any opposition candidate on the ballot for legal maneuvers.
In a week, general elections will be held in Nicaragua (on November 7). However, it is most likely that the results will not be recognized by a large part of the regional and international community due to the continuous legal attacks that left these elections without candidates opposed to the Daniel Ortega regime.
The situation is such that, according to the Confidencial.com.ni portal, 86.43% of the population does not want to vote and another 5.46% does not know if they will. The survey was conducted among 5,000 people and the media indicates that the main reason for these results is the elimination of opposition political parties and the arrest of seven presidential candidates critical of Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
In this medium, whose facilities in the country have been confiscated by the State, but which continues to work with collaborators inside and outside the country under the direction of the renowned journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, economists have mentioned that the country is in a delicate economic and that the government will have to implement some drastic change in order to maintain itself for another five years, despite the projected annual growth of 1.8%.
The Ortega Murillos “control the electoral scene to ensure their continuity in power” without proposals to “solve” the serious problem of poverty suffered by the population, according to a study by the Communication Research Center of the University of Costa Rica, collected by AFP.
“The population had great expectations with this (electoral) process, but as it progressed, they have been deflating (…) There is discontent and lack of will to go to the polls,” said Nicaraguan analyst Elvira Cuadra, during a conference at the presentation of the study in San José, Costa Rica, a country that has received many exiles.
In 2021 Nicaragua received a foreign direct investment of 159.4 million dollars, when only in 2017, a year before the protests against the regime began, which had a strong repression that caused a political crisis that continues, said investment item was 970.9 million dollars.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua has said that although it estimates a recovery between 6 and 8% this year, it is difficult for a person to get a job.
Nicaraguan analyst Eliseo Núñez comments that the economic life of the country has decreased, but the State reports growth based on three factors.
“The first is the rebound effect of the pandemic, which raised the prices of exportable products for Nicaragua; the second is the product of family remittances, which rose because there was also a rebound effect and social aid in countries that host Nicaraguan migration, and third, the aid given by COVID by international organizations, which totaled almost 1,200 million Dollars. But confidence has not been generated in the country and there are no new investments, there is no expansion of employment and people increasingly feel that they have more difficulties in acquiring the products of the basic food basket and in finding employment, “says Núñez, who adds that According to Social Security figures, economic growth is not reflected in job growth.
For him, the issue to be resolved is the political one, since without that, the others will not be able to find a solution.
Núñez also mentions that the issue of the coronavirus should be taken into account, because the Government continues with figures of around one death per week, but when social networks are reviewed there are a huge number of people who report as deceased, even when the People leave their homes and realize that “two or three neighbors have died,” something that has caused Ortega to lower the polls more, even among his own people.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Nicaragua is still not enough to vaccinate 10% of its population. The Ministry of Health reported, last Tuesday, that the pandemic already leaves 207 dead and 16,044 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 2020, according to EFE, But the network of independent doctors Observatorio Ciudadano COVID-19 has reported 5,887 deaths from pneumonia and other symptoms related to the pandemic, as well as 31,036 suspected cases.
Since 2018, the country and different leaders of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSNL) have received international sanctions and criticism.
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and organizations accuse the Government that in 2018 its repression left more than 300 dead.
Already countries and institutions such as the European Union have said that they will not recognize the next elections, which could bring more problems to the regime.
The US Government, along with other allies, are preparing new sanctions, including reviewing Nicaragua’s participation in the Free Trade Agreement between the US, Central America and the Dominican Republic (called DR-Cafta) and any other mechanism. of assistance, indicated the Nicaraguan newspaper The Press, citing sources from the State Department of the North American country.
Something that could further affect the humanitarian situation and even cause more people from the country to leave for the United States, a country that receives around half of Nicaragua’s exports, which is why the latter continues to analyze how.
The Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution demanding a solution to the crisis from the regime, calling for the release of presidential candidates and political prisoners, as well as a greater commitment to achieving free elections. He also indicated that after the elections the situation would be evaluated and actions could even be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
Meanwhile, Nicaraguans in different countries of America and Europe have called for mobilizations against the general elections to be held on November 7.
Convened by different organizations, the members of the Nicaraguan diaspora will open the day of protests on November 6 in Rome and will continue on voting day with activities in Madrid and Bilbao, in Spain; Lund, in Sweden, and in Ottawa, San José de Costa Rica and Panama City. In the United States, the demonstrations will take place on November 7 in Miami, Boston, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, according to the calls broadcast on different social networks. (I)
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