At least four killed in post-election violence in Nicaragua

[News_Editor]

At least four killed in post-election violence in Nicaragua

2011-11-10 16:00:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANAGUA (BNO NEWS) -- At least four people were killed on Wednesday during clashes between supporters and opponents of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who won Sunday's presidential election amid widespread claims of fraud.

Four people were killed in the north of the country while at least forty-six police officers were injured in clashes which erupted after the opposition denounced the election result as fraud. It follows Monday's announcement by election officials who declared Ortega the winner of Sunday's general election.

Three opposition supporters were shot dead in the town of San José de Cusmapa, which is located in the Madriz Department. Police said the opposition members were from the same family, but gave no other details about the shooting.

Police Commissioner Fernando Borge said the fourth victim died in a clash in Siuna, a municipality in the Autonomous Region Atlantic North Department. He was identified as Donaldo Martínez, the political secretary for Ortega's Sandinista party.

Borge added that six police officers were critically injured during the clashes among rival political groups and promised to launch an investigation to determine whether security forces fired directly on protesters.

There were unconfirmed reports that several other protesters were also killed.

According to Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), the 65-year-old Ortega, who is the leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), received 62.45 percent of the more than 2.2 million votes during Sunday's election.

Ortega was followed by Independent Liberal Party (PLI) candidate Fabio Gadea Mantilla, who received 31.06 percent of the vote, according to CSE President Roberto Rivas. The Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) received just under six percent of the votes.

However, Gadea Mantilla has refused to concede defeat amid increasing allegations of widespread election fraud, and the official CSE website showed earlier results which totaled up to 100.01 percent. Gadea Mantilla said the results as presented by the CSE do not reflect the people's will but rather the power of the government.

The United States previously expressed concern regarding the election, but said it would wait with a formal comment until the election has been certified. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, however, strongly condemned the vote.

"Sunday's so-called election in Nicaragua was a complete sham," Ros-Lehtinen said in a harsh statement. "Daniel Ortega made sure of it."

The U.S. official said Ortega was, according to the Nicaraguan constitution, not eligible to run for a third term as president. "But he forced his way onto the ballot through a corrupt scheme that trampled over Nicaraguan constitutional mandates," she said, referring to a 2009 Supreme Court decision which declared the country's two-term limit invalid.

"And once he forced his way onto the ballot, Ortega pulled out more tricks to make sure that he would win," Ros-Lehtinen added. "He denied countless Nicaraguans the right to vote in order to stack the deck in his favor. He has clearly learned from his dictatorial buddies in the region, like Chavez, who is an expert at trampling democracy."

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland noted that the Nicaraguan government had denied access to international election monitors. "Frankly, if the Nicaraguan Government had nothing to hide, it should have allowed a broad complement of international monitors," she said on Monday.

However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev did congratulate Ortega in a personal message which did not address claims of fraud. "Your solid victory in the election demonstrates that the Nicaraguan leadership's socioeconomic policy and consistent position in international affairs are successful and widely supported by the people of your country," Medvedev wrote in a letter.

He added: "Russia considers Nicaragua an important and reliable partner. We highly value the constructive nature of our political dialogue, as well as our efficient cooperation on the international arena and on a wide range of bilateral issues."

Ortega first assumed office in January 1985 until April 1990. He then ran for a second term in 2006, leading to his inauguration in January 2007.

In 1998, Ortega's adopted stepdaughter Zoilamerica Narvaez alleged that she had been systematically sexually abused by Ortega since 1979 when she was 11 years old. Despite releasing a 48-page report to describe her allegations, Ortega had immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament and the five-year statute of limitations for sexual abuse and rape charges was judged to have been exceeded. Both Ortega and his wife have denied Narvaez' allegations.

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