Published Monday, May 10, 2021

International News

The United Kingdom government is concerned over recent electoral reform measures passed in Nicaragua, stated the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

On May 4, according to the British Foreign Affairs office, the government of Daniel Ortega and the National Assembly in Nicaragua, in which the Sandinista National Liberation Front has an overwhelming majority of seats, approved electoral reform legislation that will deny the people of Nicaragua genuine democratic, free and fair elections.

"The new legislation has multiple and serious shortcomings: it includes worrying provisions for excluding candidates from participation, gives the National Police inappropriate new powers to prohibit opposition party meetings and campaign events, fails to provide for timely and transparent reporting of results, and fails to provide for independent domestic or international election observation," the UK Foreign Office said in its statement.

The United Kingdom is concerned that the new law makes it even less likely that voters in Nicaragua will have the opportunity to vote in free and fair elections in November this year. "This is a deliberate decision not to put in place the sort of electoral framework  and safeguards that the people of Nicaragua deserve, but rather to bring in measures that will contribute further to the marginalisation and disenfranchisement of voters and to the ongoing political crisis in Nicaragua," they said.

The British Foreign Affairs office headlined that the UK continues to advocate for transparency and inclusivity across all of Nicaraguan society. "The promotion of democracy and human rights will remain central to the UK’s approach to our relationship with Nicaragua," they said.


On Thursday, the U.S. Department of State stated that they were deeply concerned that the Nicaraguan government under Daniel Ortega has rebuffed calls by its own citizens and the international community, including the Organization of American States, the European Union, and the United Nations, to build confidence in the electoral process by passing meaningful reforms to enable a free and fair election in November.
 
"Instead, on Tuesday, May 4, the Nicaraguan National Assembly approved legislation that will deny the people of Nicaragua genuinely free and fair elections," the U.S. Department said in its statement. "The electoral measures, which run counter to those called for in the OAS General Assembly’s October 2020 resolution, fail to provide for timely and transparent reporting of results or for independent domestic or international election observation."

According to the U.S. Department of State, Nicaragua excluded candidates from participation and gave the Nicaraguan National Police the power to prohibit party meetings and campaign events. "Separately, the National Assembly also approved magistrates to the electoral oversight body, the Supreme Electoral Council, all of whom are staunch loyalists of President Ortega."

With these actions, as well as ongoing repression of human rights, President Ortega and his supporters are signaling a disturbing disregard for the will of the Nicaraguan people and Nicaragua’s commitments under the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the US. Department of State said.

"The United States will continue to use the diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to support Nicaraguans’ calls for democracy, justice, and free and fair elections," they said.

------------------------------
Should Costa Rican authorities address the recent events in Nicaragua? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com