Nicaragua's Ortega seeks re-election after jailing rivals

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega sought a 4th consecutive word successful elections the United States has called a “pantomime” pursuing the jailing of his apical rivals and the country’s absorption has urged voters to boycott.

Ortega has railed against alleged interference by Washington successful Sunday’s elections to find who holds the presidency for the adjacent 5 years, arsenic good arsenic 90 of the 92 seats successful the legislature and Nicaragua’s practice successful the Central American Parliament.

The ruling Sandinista Front and its allies power the legislature and each authorities institutions. Ortega archetypal served arsenic president from 1985 to 1990, earlier returning to powerfulness successful 2007. He precocious declared his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, his “co-president.”

Voting was orderly and closed Sunday evening without reported incidents. Provisional ballot totals were expected Monday.

The absorption had called connected Nicaraguans to enactment location successful protestation of an electoral process that has been roundly criticized arsenic not credible by overseas powers. In June, constabulary arrested 7 imaginable statesmanlike challengers to Ortega connected charges that fundamentally magnitude to treason. They remained successful detention connected predetermination day. Some 2 twelve different absorption leaders were besides swept up up of the elections.

The remaining contenders connected Sunday’s ballot were small known politicians from insignificant parties seen arsenic affable with Ortega’s Sandinista Front.

On Saturday, the Blue and White National Union, an absorption alliance, issued an alert aft astatine slightest 8 of its leaders were “abducted by the authorities successful amerciable raids” Saturday day and evening.

The Civic Alliance, different absorption coalition, reported “harassment, surveillance, intimidation, assault, attacks, amerciable and arbitrary detentions” of immoderate of its leaders astir Nicaragua.

On Sunday, Mayela Rodríguez recovered her section voting halfway astatine a schoolhouse successful Managua virtually empty. “In past years it was truly full,” she said. “Before you had to (wait) successful a large enactment to travel present and now, empty.”

Around midday, Ortega spoke unrecorded connected tv aft voting — helium held up his inked finger.

He blasted the United States for interference successful Nicaragua, noted determination had been alleged fraud successful the past U.S. election, reminded that those who stormed the U.S. Capitol were called terrorists and stay jailed. He repeated his assertion that the U.S. authorities supported immense protests successful Nicaragua successful April 2018, which helium has called an attempted coup.

“They person arsenic overmuch close arsenic we bash to unfastened trials against terrorists,” Ortega said.

In a connection released astir the adjacent of voting, U.S. President Joe Biden called Nicaragua’s predetermination process “rigged” and said the U.S. would usage the tools astatine its disposal to clasp the Nicaraguan authorities accountable.

“The Ortega and Murillo household present regularisation Nicaragua arsenic autocrats, nary antithetic from the Somoza household that Ortega and the Sandinistas fought 4 decades ago,” Biden said.

He criticized the ballot arsenic a “pantomime predetermination that was neither escaped nor fair, and astir surely not democratic.”

In neighboring Costa Rica, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada tweeted that his authorities won’t admit the predetermination due to the fact that of “the deficiency of antiauthoritarian conditions and guarantees.”

Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said the peaceful ballot sends a connection to the satellite powers that “Nicaraguans are dignified patriots and we are not going to crook to their threats, sanctions and non-recognition of the elections.”

With small uncertainty arsenic to the statesmanlike predetermination result, absorption is already turning to what the planetary effect volition beryllium arsenic Ortega seeks to tighten his grip connected power.

The United States and European Union person imposed sanctions against those successful Ortega’s interior circle, but Ortega responded lone by arresting much of his opponents.

On Friday, a elder U.S. State Department official, who spoke with reporters connected the information of anonymity, said the U.S. authorities was consenting to see further targeted sanctions, but had tried to debar measures that would much broadly interaction the Nicaraguan people.

“It is precise hard erstwhile you person a authorities that has precise minimal goals that see remaining successful powerfulness astatine immoderate outgo and disregarding the volition of their ain citizens oregon the needs of the citizens to clasp that power,” the authoritative said.

The Organization of American States volition clasp its yearly wide assembly successful Guatemala aboriginal this week. Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico were among 7 countries that abstained from a ballot connected a solution past period successful the OAS condemning the repression successful Nicaragua.

International observers contiguous for past Nicaraguan elections were not present. Instead, the authorities accredited 232 “electoral companions,” mostly from leftist governments and parties.

Among them was Dmitry Novikov, typical of Russia’s Duma. He visited respective polling places and said helium observed “respect for the main of non interference” and criticized European leaders who questioned the election.

Gerardo Berthin, manager of Latin American and Caribbean programs for the ideology promotion enactment Freedom House, said Sunday the ballot was going arsenic scripted by Ortega.

“This is what they privation successful presumption of showing radical voting, adjacent though we cognize that they person lists really of radical who enactment for the authorities and they are checking who’s going and who is not,” Berthin said.

Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman successful Mexico City and Javier Cordoba successful San Jose, Costa Rica, contributed to this report.