Abstentions move Nicaragua to the left

Extensive and not always well-managed control of the voting tables made of the Nicaraguan municipal elections a marathon – at turtleneck speed.

By Eva Rasmussen

08. November 2004

Hammocks carried the day in the municipal elections held in Nicaragua this past Sunday, thus moving Central America’s poorest country to the left. With voter participation dropping from 47% in 2000 to 42% this time around, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) again took the nation’s capital, Managua, as well as some 91 of the 152 municipalities, 40 more than in 2000. The FSLN is a disciplined party, with a constant number of reliable voters. Thus the party’s percentages tends to rise in direct proportion to low voter turnout.

The big loser was clearly the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC), headed by Arnoldo Alemán, the former president jailed (or hospitalized, rather) for corruption. However, the FSLN did not contribute to his defeat. Quite to the contrary, these two parties had connived to keep all other parties from participating. This attempt was beaten back by the recently established Alliance for the Republic (APRE), which supports the PLC’s most well-known dissident, Enrique Bolaños.

During the electoral campaign, both the sandinistas and the liberals accused Bolaños of corruption in the financing of his electoral campaign in 2001. Working through the Collegiate Comptroller’s Office, they demanded that he abandon the presidency and turn himself in to judicial authorities. The president refused, and held a public meeting to document his innocence. However, he was unable to explain how he financed his campaign. Enrique Bolaños was Arnoldo Alemán’s vice president. But be that as it may, voters expressed their confidence in him this past Sunday, or perhaps rather their firm rejection of the pact between the sandinistas and liberals.

Polarisation

Almost 15 years since the end of the civil war in Nicaragua, polarization still poses obstacles to development. As election time approaches, the level of mistrust becomes paralyzing. Therefore the simple act of voting is wrapped in so many steps and activities intended to maintain control at all times, that the process becomes a veritable marathon among turtles. This ponderous process is often aggravated by lack of knowledge of the rules of the game by those representing the parties at the voting tables, leading to long discussions that further slow down the vote count.

During the municipal elections of Sunday 7 November, national and international observers verified, for instance, that at the same voting place different voting tables were applying different rules. Everyone argued Electoral Law in hand, but it was quite obvious that not everyone had read it.

The hole punchers that were to put a hole through the hard plastic of the voter’s identification cards were the great villains of this election day, as most simply were not up for the job. As no one had a thought of a contingency plan, it became necessary to improvise. Some voting tables opted for cutting a corner off the card. This however led to the voting process being held up while someone went for a pair of scissors. Others used a knitting needle, while at least one opted for a hammer and some nails. All of this made for a rather long day at the polls, but no serious episodes of fraud or major disturbances were reported.

Very early Monday morning the sandinistas were out with their red and black flags celebrating in the streets of Managua. Daniel Ortega was of the opinion that the Lula effect had finally arrived in Nicaragua. It appeared that after three consecutive electoral defeats in presidential elections, he was getting ready to give it another try.

Eva Rasmussen is an information DDW at MS Central America