The US government said on Thursday (14) that the Nicaraguan presidential elections in November will be a “farce” and have lost “all credibility” due to the “autocratic” maneuvers of dictator Daniel Ortega.
During a press conference, State Department spokesman Ned Price highlighted the ban on opposition leaders from running in elections. “The electoral process has lost all credibility,” Price said.
For the spokesman, “it is already an inevitable conclusion that Ortega will make the November elections a farce and that he will proclaim himself victorious.”
Price noted that “autocratic maneuvers” such as the opposition’s veto of elections, as well as the arrest of dozens of human rights activists, journalists and student leaders in recent months, highlight “the fear of free and fair elections” and “the desire to remain in power at any cost” of the Nicaraguan dictator.
Nicaragua will hold presidential elections on Nov. 7, amid a wave of arrests that has led to the arrest of 37 opposition leaders, including presidential candidates, businessmen and journalists, for crimes such as treason and conspiracy to compromise national integrity.
In those elections, 76-year-old Ortega will seek his third consecutive re-election, for a fourth term of five years and a second with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as runner-up. The United States has imposed rounds of economic sanctions on top Nicaraguan officials, including several of the dictator’s sons.
The US government said on Thursday (14) that the Nicaraguan presidential elections in November will be a “farce” and have lost “all credibility” due to the “autocratic” maneuvers of dictator Daniel Ortega.
During a press conference, State Department spokesman Ned Price highlighted the ban on opposition leaders from running in elections. “The electoral process has lost all credibility,” Price said.
For the spokesman, “it is already an inevitable conclusion that Ortega will make the November elections a farce and that he will proclaim himself victorious.”
Price noted that “autocratic maneuvers” such as the opposition’s veto of elections, as well as the arrest of dozens of human rights activists, journalists and student leaders in recent months, highlight “the fear of free and fair elections” and “the desire to remain in power at any cost” of the Nicaraguan dictator.
Nicaragua will hold presidential elections on Nov. 7, amid a wave of arrests that has led to the arrest of 37 opposition leaders, including presidential candidates, businessmen and journalists, for crimes such as treason and conspiracy to compromise national integrity.
In those elections, 76-year-old Ortega will seek his third consecutive re-election, for a fourth term of five years and a second with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as runner-up. The United States has imposed rounds of economic sanctions on top Nicaraguan officials, including several of the dictator’s sons.
The US government said on Thursday (14) that the Nicaraguan presidential elections in November will be a “farce” and have lost “all credibility” due to the “autocratic” maneuvers of dictator Daniel Ortega.
During a press conference, State Department spokesman Ned Price highlighted the ban on opposition leaders from running in elections. “The electoral process has lost all credibility,” Price said.
For the spokesman, “it is already an inevitable conclusion that Ortega will make the November elections a farce and that he will proclaim himself victorious.”
Price noted that “autocratic maneuvers” such as the opposition’s veto of elections, as well as the arrest of dozens of human rights activists, journalists and student leaders in recent months, highlight “the fear of free and fair elections” and “the desire to remain in power at any cost” of the Nicaraguan dictator.
Nicaragua will hold presidential elections on Nov. 7, amid a wave of arrests that has led to the arrest of 37 opposition leaders, including presidential candidates, businessmen and journalists, for crimes such as treason and conspiracy to compromise national integrity.
In those elections, 76-year-old Ortega will seek his third consecutive re-election, for a fourth term of five years and a second with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as runner-up. The United States has imposed rounds of economic sanctions on top Nicaraguan officials, including several of the dictator’s sons.
The US government said on Thursday (14) that the Nicaraguan presidential elections in November will be a “farce” and have lost “all credibility” due to the “autocratic” maneuvers of dictator Daniel Ortega.
During a press conference, State Department spokesman Ned Price highlighted the ban on opposition leaders from running in elections. “The electoral process has lost all credibility,” Price said.
For the spokesman, “it is already an inevitable conclusion that Ortega will make the November elections a farce and that he will proclaim himself victorious.”
Price noted that “autocratic maneuvers” such as the opposition’s veto of elections, as well as the arrest of dozens of human rights activists, journalists and student leaders in recent months, highlight “the fear of free and fair elections” and “the desire to remain in power at any cost” of the Nicaraguan dictator.
Nicaragua will hold presidential elections on Nov. 7, amid a wave of arrests that has led to the arrest of 37 opposition leaders, including presidential candidates, businessmen and journalists, for crimes such as treason and conspiracy to compromise national integrity.
In those elections, 76-year-old Ortega will seek his third consecutive re-election, for a fourth term of five years and a second with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as runner-up. The United States has imposed rounds of economic sanctions on top Nicaraguan officials, including several of the dictator’s sons.