On 12 November the Organization of American States (OAS) voted in favour of a resolution which found the 7 November general elections in Nicaragua were “not free, fair or transparent and have no democratic legitimacy”.
Analysis:
The OAS resolution came out of the 10-12 November OAS General Assembly and echoes similar conclusions drawn by the US and European Union (EU) regarding the election, which produced a victory for President Daniel Ortega but was widely slammed as a sham. With countries such as the US having already announced new sanctions since the election, the resolution by the OAS, whose previously efforts to pressure the Ortega government over democracy-related concerns failed to have any impact, states that further (unspecified) action will be taken, suggesting that sanctions could be on the cards.
- The OAS resolution resolves: “to conclude that, based on the principles set out in the Charter of the OAS and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, democratic institutions in Nicaragua have been seriously undermined by the Government”. Reiterating previous calls for the release of political prisoners, the OAS resolution highlights “the arbitrary imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition figures since May, including seven potential presidential candidates, and the blocking of political parties from participation,” among other things.
- Only Nicaragua voted against the resolution while 25 countries voted in favour, with seven abstentions which included Bolivia, Honduras, and Mexico.
- Mexico’s representative at the OAS, Luz Elena Baños, said Mexico “has expressed to the Nicaraguan government our concerns regarding the political process” but said it “has been Mexico’s consistent position not to support any decision within the OAS that is aimed at isolating, intervening in, or imposing any type of sanction on a member state.”
- In one sign of dwindling international support for Ortega, Argentina, which has abstained from previous OAS votes condemning the situation in Nicaragua, voted in favour of the resolution.
- On 10 November US President Joe Biden signed into law the Renacer Act which was recently approved by the House of Representatives and will “dramatically increase” US diplomatic engagement with regard to Nicaragua.
Looking Ahead: The OAS resolution instructs its permanent council to undertake an immediate collective assessment of the situation, in accordance with the Charter of the OAS and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, to be completed no later than 30 November, and to take appropriate action.