US Department of State: Nicaragua Elections Have Lost Credibility
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized Nicaragua's latest political decision to disqualify the opposition party from running in the election, saying the electoral process has "lost all credibility."
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, announced on Saturday evening, that the Nicaraguan elections anticipated for November 7, have lost their credibility. Blinken denounced the "autocratic" maneuver by President Daniel Ortega to dislodge his political opponents.
Blinken announced that "The United States views the regime’s latest undemocratic, authoritarian actions—driven by Ortega’s fear of an electoral loss—as the final blow against Nicaragua’s prospects for a free and fair election later this year," he continued "that electoral process, including its eventual results, has lost all credibility."
It is crucial to note that on Friday, the Electoral Council of Nicaragua disqualified the main opposition party in the country from the upcoming elections. The party was set to lead an alliance against the re-election of Ortega.
According to a court judgment presented before official media by the body's secretary, Luis Luna, Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council disqualified the main opposition party by ordering the "cancellation of the legal status of the Citizens for Liberty party."
The decision states that the president and legal representative of the "Citizens Alliance for Liberty (CXL) bloc" holds dual American and Nicaraguan citizenship "in clear violation of the law."
Blinken reiterated that "President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo’s decision on August 6 to ban the last genuine opposition party from participating in the November elections underscores their desire to remain in power at all costs."
The ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, approved the nomination of Ortega,75, for a fourth presidential term, and nominated his wife, Rosario Murillo, for Vice President.