LatinNews Daily - 03 June 2021 |
NICARAGUA: Prominent opposition figure excluded from presidential race |
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.
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”. |