2016 Nicaraguan general election

General elections were held in Nicaragua on 6 November 2016 to elect the President, the National Assembly and members of the Central American Parliament.[1] Incumbent President Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was re-elected for a third consecutive term amid charges he and the FSLN used their control of state resources to bypass constitutional term limits and hamstring political rivals. The FSLN benefited from strong economic growth and relatively low levels of crime compared to neighbouring countries.[2]

2016 Nicaraguan general election

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Presidential election
 
Candidate Daniel Ortega Maximino Rodríguez
Party FSLN PLC
Running mate Rosario Murillo Martha McCoy
Popular vote 1,806,651 374,898
Percentage 72.44% 15.03%

Ortega
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%


President before election

Daniel Ortega
FSLN

Elected President

Daniel Ortega
FSLN

Parliamentary election

90 seats in the National Assembly
46 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader % Seats +/–
FSLN Daniel Ortega 65.86 70 +8
PLC Maximino Rodríguez 15.30 13 +11
PLI José Alvarado 6.71 2 −24
ALN Saturnino Cerrato 5.70 2 +2
Conservative Erick Cabezas 4.39 1 +1
APRE Carlos Canales 2.04 1 +1
YATAMA Brooklyn Rivera 1 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Results of the legislative election
President of the National Assembly before President of the National Assembly after
Iris Montenegro Blandón
FSLN
Gustavo Porras Cortés
FSLN

According to the official results, Ortega was reelected with more than 70% of the votes. However, the election was questioned by the opposition due to the dismissal of sixteen opposition deputies months prior to the election and the complaints of both electoral fraud and voter intimidation.[2]

Background edit

Four months before the elections, the Nicaraguan Supreme Court removed the disputed Independent Liberal Party (PLI) leader Eduardo Montealegre from office, decreeing that Pedro Reyes was the leader of the PLI. After 16 deputies from the PLI and its Sandinista Renovation Movement ally objected, the Supreme Electoral Council ordered them removed from the National Assembly and empowered Reyes to select their replacements.[3][4][5][6]

Electoral system edit

The president was elected using first-past-the-post voting.[7]

The 90 elected members of the National Assembly were elected by two methods; 20 members were elected from a single nationwide constituency, whilst 70 members were elected from 17 multi-member constituencies ranging in size from 2 to 19 seats. Both types of election were carried out using closed list proportional representation with no electoral threshold.[8] A further two seats were reserved for the runner-up in the presidential election and the outgoing president (or their vice president).[9]

Lists of candidates to the National Assembly and to the Central American Parliament had to be composed of 50% male and 50% female candidates.[10]

Conduct edit

In June 2016 Ortega announced international observers would not be allowed to oversee the elections. The Carter Center termed this "an attack on the international community... We...lament this decision to ignore a key portion of Nicaragua's own electoral law."[11] However, less than two weeks before the elections, the Organization of American States accepted an invitation to send a delegation "to meet with experts and state bodies involved in the electoral process" from 5–7 November.[12][13]

According to the official results, Ortega was reelected with more than 70% of the votes. However, the election was questioned by the opposition due to the dismissal of the opposition deputies, the lack of international observers and the complaints of both electoral fraud and voter intimidation.[2]

Results edit

President edit

Ortega was widely expected to win due to the popularity of his social programmes and because he faced no obvious political challenger.[14]

CandidatePartyVotes%
Daniel OrtegaSandinista National Liberation Front1,806,65172.44
Maximino RodríguezConstitutionalist Liberal Party374,89815.03
José AlvaradoIndependent Liberal Party112,5624.51
Saturnino CerratoNicaraguan Liberal Alliance107,3924.31
Erick CabezasConservative Party57,4372.30
Carlos CanalesAlliance for the Republic35,0021.40
Total2,493,942100.00
Valid votes2,493,94296.51
Invalid/blank votes90,2463.49
Total votes2,584,188100.00
Source: CSE, IFES

National Assembly edit

 
PartyNationalConstituencyTotal
seats
+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Sandinista National Liberation Front1,590,31665.86141,608,39565.625670+8
Constitutionalist Liberal Party369,34215.303375,43215.321013+11
Independent Liberal Party162,0436.711117,6264.8012–24
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance137,5415.701137,0785.5912+2
Conservative Party106,0274.391110,5684.5101+1
Alliance for the Republic49,3292.04070,9392.8911+1
YATAMA30,9011.2611+1
Special members[a]2
Total2,414,598100.00202,450,939100.0070920
Source: CSE, El 19 Digital
  1. ^ The runner-up in the presidential election (Maximino Rodríguez of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party) and the outgoing president are special members of the National Assembly; as Ortega was re-elected, outgoing Vice President Omar Halleslevens of the FSLN, who was not Ortega's running mate in these elections (having been replaced by Rosario Murillo), will take up his seat.

List of elected deputies edit

Name Party Constituency
Adilia del Pilar Salinas Ortega PLC Chontales
Alba Estela González Torrez FSLN National
Alejandro Mejía Ferreti ALN National
Alfredo César Aguirre PC National
Alveris Beldramina Arias Siezar FSLN Managua
Ángela Espinoza Torrez FSLN Madriz
Antenor Enrique Urbina Leyva FSLN Costa Caribe Norte
Argentina del Socorro Parajón Alejos FSLN León
Arling Patricia Alonso Gómez FSLN Chinandega
Arturo José Valdez Robleto FSLN Costa Caribe Sur
Bayardo Antonio Chávez Mendoza FSLN Chinandega
Benita del Carmen Arbizú Medina FSLN León
Brooklyn Rivera Bryan YATAMA Costa Caribe Norte
Byron Rodolfo Jérez Solís APRE Managua
Carlos Alberto Jirón Bolaños PLC León
Carlos Emilio López Hurtado FSLN Managua
Carlos Wilfredo Navarro Moreira FSLN National
Corina González García FSLN Chontales
Delia María Law Blanco FSLN Granada
Dora Elena Rojas FSLN Chinandega
Douglas Alemán Benavídez FSLN Chontales
Edwin Ramón Castro Rivera FSLN Managua
Efrén José González Briones FSLN Madriz
Enrique Aldana Burgos FSLN Matagalpa
Enrique Javier Beteta Acevedo FSLN National
Evelin Patricia Aburto Torres FSLN Masaya
Félix Andrés Sandoval Jarquín FSLN Chinandega
Filiberto Jacinto Rodríguez López FSLN León
Florence Ivette Levy Wilson FSLN National
Giorgia Hilaria Juárez Cruz FSLN Chinandega
Gladis de los Ángeles Báez FSLN León
Gloria del Rosario Montenegro FSLN Jinotega
Guillermo Eduardo Arce Castaño FSLN Managua
Gustavo Eduardo Porras Cortés FSLN National
Haydée Azucena Castillo Barquero PLC National
Herberto Octavio Ruiz Morales FSLN Granada
Iris Marina Montenegro Blandón FSLN Managua
Irma de Jesús Dávila Lazo FSLN Matagalpa
Jacinto José Suárez Espinoza FSLN Managua
Jenny Azucena Martínez Gómez FSLN Masaya
Jimmy Harold Blandón Rubio PLC Managua
Johanna del Carmen Luna Lira FSLN Managua
José Antonio Zepeda López FSLN National
José Ramón Sarría Morales FSLN León
José Santos Figueroa Aguilar FSLN Managua
Josefina Roa Romero FSLN Carazo
Juana de los Ángeles Molina FSLN National
Juana Vicenta Argeñal Sandoval FSLN National
Juan Ramón Jiménez FSLN Carazo
Juan Ramón Meza Romero FSLN Jinotega
Juan Ramón Obregón Valdivia FSLN Jinotega
Justo Armando Peña Avilés FSLN Rivas
Laura Estela Bermúdez Robleto FSLN National
Lester Adrián Villarreal Pérez PLC Masaya
Loria Raquel Dixon Brautigam FSLN Costa Caribe Norte
Lucina Leonor Paz Rodríguez FSLN Boaco
Luis Coronel Cuadra FSLN Río San Juan
María Augustina Montenegro López FSLN Matagalpa
María Auxiliadora Martínez Corrales FSLN Granada
María Fernanda Ernestina Flores Lanza PLC Managua
María Haydée Osuna Ruiz PLC National
María Jilma Rosalez Espinoza FSLN Estelí
María Manuela Sacasa Selva FSLN National
Mario José Asensio Florez PLI Managua
Mario Valle Dávila FSLN Managua
Maritza del Socorro Espinales FSLN Managua
Maryinis Ibet Vallejoz Chavarría FSLN Rivas
Mauricio Orúe Vásquez ALN Managua
Maximino Rodríguez Martínez[a] PLC
Melba del Socorro Sánchez Suárez FSLN Managua
Melvin Martín Argucia Perrott FSLN Nueva Segovia
Miguel Anselmo Rosales Ortega PLC National
Mirta Mercedes Carrión Cano PLC Chinandega
Moisés Omar Halleslevens Acevedo[a] FSLN
Nasser Sebastián Silwany Báez FSLN Masaya
Odell Ángel Incer Barquero FSLN Boaco
Osorno Salomón Coleman FSLN National
Patricia Mercedes Sánchez Urbina FSLN Managua
Paul Antonio González Tenorio PLC Costa Caribe Sur
Pedro Antonio Haslam Mendoza FSLN National
Pedro Joaquín Treminio Mendoza PLI National
Perla Soledad Castillo Quintero FSLN Estelí
Reyna Juanita Rueda Alvarado FSLN National
Reynaldo Altamirano Alaniz PLC Matagalpa
Rosa Adelina Barahona Castro FSLN Matagalpa
Rosa Argentina Navarro Sánchez PLC Managua
Rosa Herminia Irias Figueroa FSLN Nueva Segovia
Rubén de Jesús Gómez Suárez FSLN Matagalpa
Santiago José Martínez Lacayo FSLN Carazo
Víctor Octavio Triminio Zavala FSLN Estelí
Walmaro Antonio Gutiérrez Mercado FSLN National
Walter Edén Espinoza Fernández PLC Managua
Source: PGR [1]
  1. ^ a b The runner-up in the presidential election (Maximino Rodríguez of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party) and the outgoing president are special members of the National Assembly; as Ortega was re-elected, outgoing Vice President Omar Halleslevens of the FSLN, who was not Ortega's running mate in these elections (having been replaced by Rosario Murillo), will take up his seat.

Central American Parliament edit

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Sandinista National Liberation Front1,673,62768.4515+2
Constitutionalist Liberal Party346,85514.193+2
Independent Liberal Party139,6185.710–6
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance134,8585.521+1
Conservative Party106,3504.350
Alliance for the Republic43,9051.801+1
Total2,445,213100.00200
Source: CSE, El 19 Digital

References edit

  1. ^ Nicaragua general election, 2016 NDI
  2. ^ a b c "Nicaragua president re-elected in landslide amid claims of rigged vote". The Guardian. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  3. ^ CSJ resuelve extenso conflicto del PLI Archived 14 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Nuevo Diario, 9 June 2016
  4. ^ ¿Quién es Pedro Reyes? La Prensa, 9 June 2016
  5. ^ Asamblea ejecuta destitución de diputados Archived 10 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine Nuevo Diario, 30 July 2016
  6. ^ "Nicaragua electoral authority unseats opposition lawmakers". townhall.com. AP. 30 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. ^ Constitution of Nicaragua, Article 146. "Ley de Reforma Parcial a la Constitución Política de la República de Nicaragua" (in Spanish). National Assembly. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  8. ^ Electoral system IPU
  9. ^ Last elections IPU
  10. ^ Constitution of Nicaragua, Article 131. "Ley de Reforma Parcial a la Constitución Política de la República de Nicaragua" (in Spanish). National Assembly. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Statement on Daniel Ortega's Decision Not to Invite International Observers to Nicaragua Elections". Carter Center. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Nicaragua to accept OAS election observers". townhall.com. AP. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  13. ^ "OAS Observer in Nicaragua, the Bishops call for authentic dialogue". Agenzia Fides. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  14. ^ Nicaragua leader Daniel Ortega wins third consecutive term BBC