On 2 June a court order was made public, which excludes high-profile Nicaraguan opposition presidential pre-candidate, Cristiana Chamorro Barrios, from taking part in the 7 November general election.
Analysis:
The order against Chamorro, dated 1 June, is in relation to alleged money laundering and other crimes. Chamorro, who yesterday was also placed under house arrest, has rejected the charges as trumped up and says she is being politically persecuted. The daughter of former president, Violeta Chamorro (1990-1997), Chamorro Barrios is believed to be among the most popular opposition rivals to President Daniel Ortega, who is seeking a further term for the ruling Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) in the November election. Her arrest and exclusion from the election has been widely condemned by the international community and follows other signs that the Ortega government wants to undermine the electoral process. These include the recent decision by the electoral authorities (CSE) to strip two opposition parties of their legal status; and contentious electoral reforms and appointment of the new CSE. All of this is piling the pressure on Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro to make good last year’s threat to request that OAS members declare a “rupture of the democratic order” in Nicaragua, which could result in the suspension or termination of its member state status.
- According to Chamorro Barrios' brother, Carlos, a well-known opposition journalist whose offices have also been targeted by the national police (PNN), Chamorro Barrios' home in the capital, Managua, was raided and remains under police occupation.
- Indicative of international condemnation, the OAS yesterday issued a statement rejecting “the process of disqualification” of Chamorro Barrios' candidacy. It warned that “Nicaragua is heading for the worst possible elections, and this new attack on democracy verified yesterday makes it even more impossible to have free, fair and transparent elections in the country. Actions like this remove all political credibility from the government and the organisers of the electoral process”.
- The OAS adds that “The use of the Prosecutor’s Office, injunctions and precautionary measures, the politicised handling of justice and the de facto banning of candidates are in violation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the OAS Charter, the instruments on human rights and of international pacts to which Nicaragua is a party”.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also slammed the move, tweeting that preventing Chamorro Barrios from competing in the election “reflects Ortega’s fear of free and fair elections”. In an interview with Costa Rican daily, La Nación, Blinken also warned Nicaragua was moving in the “opposite direction” to guaranteeing “free and fair elections”. Blinken made his comments during a two-day visit to Costa Rica to discuss US strategy with regard to Central America and, in particular, addressing root causes of migration. Following a meeting with Central American and Mexican foreign ministers, he underlined “the need for commitment from all leaders to free and fair elections”.
Looking Ahead: With members of the international community such as the US and European Union (EU) having previously sanctioned the Ortega government and its allies over democracy-related concerns, the latest electoral developments are fanning demands for action from the OAS. Yesterday Coalición Nacional (CN), one of the two main opposition groupings in Nicaragua, issued a statement calling on the OAS to declare a “rupture of the democratic order” in Nicaragua. It cited the failure by the government to pass electoral reforms “in line with international standards” by 31 May; an OAS October 2020 resolution on Nicaragua had called for these to be in place “no later than May 2021”.