Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (left) embraces Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 25, 2008.
I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal and decided to share it. What caught my attention were the actions the author alleges President Ortega has been engaging in to secure a victory for his party. As a defender of democracy and transparent processes, it is difficult for me not to take the following comments seriously:
1. Ortega blocked the Organization of American States, the European Union and the Carter Center from receiving credentials to observe the balloting.
2. He barred Nicaragua’s highly respected independent watchdog, Ethics and Transparency — which had recognized Mr. Ortega’s 2006 victory — from the polling stations.
3. Despite getting shut out, Ethics and Transparency managed to post observers to watch from outside polling stations. It estimated that one-third of the stations experienced irregularities. There were also reports that in some places opposition-party observers were kicked out of polling stations, and some polling stations closed ahead of schedule.
This is concerning. Should this be true, citizens interested in promoting and defending democracy throughout the Americas should be bothered and, quite frankly, outraged. The people of Nicaragua deserve a free, fair and transparent election. The result of the election is important, but it is time we all recognize the importance of the need to play by the same rules, respect the democratic processes in place and guarantee that a citizen’s political opinion will not get him kicked out of a voting poll or treated unfairly.
The Washington Office on Latin America has already voiced some concerns that must be troubling the people of Nicaragua and trouble me. In a November 6 Communication it stated:
“We are alarmed by the growing climate of intolerance for those who are perceived as critics of the federal government. The physical attack on a march of opposition party activists, and the apparent unwillingness of the police to restore order, the criminal investigations of several civil society organizations and their leaders, as well as the investigation of international NGOs that have funded some of these organizations, is extremely troubling.” The Washington Office on Latin America also referenced “violent acts by government supporters against human rights defenders.”
Something to think about my friends.
