Nicaraguan general election, 2006
Encyclopedia
Nicaragua
held a general election on 5 November 2006. The country's voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic
and 90 members of the National Assembly
, all of whom will serve five-year terms. Daniel Ortega
(FSLN) won the race with 37.99% of the vote, Eduardo Montealegre
(ALN) trailing with 28.30%, José Rizo (PLC) with 27.1%, Edmundo Jarquín
(MRS) with 6.29%, and Edén Pastora
(AC) with just 0.29%.
n politics since independence in 1838. From the times of the antagonical Democratic
and Legitimist
parties, the Liberals and Conservatives have succeeded each other in the government with the exception of the Sandinista
rule from 1979 to 1990.
This two-party system, with two dominant political parties, has survived until our days with the difference that the two rival forces today are the FSLN
and the self-appointed Democratic Forces (anti-Sandinistas).
In the last 16 years, the National Opposition Union
(UNO) in 1990, the Liberal Alliance
(AL) in 1996 and the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) in 2001 have all defeated the Sandinista National Liberation Front
(FSLN) candidate Daniel Ortega
in three consecutive presidential elections.
The current electoral scene could be the end of the bipartite scheme as the anti-Sandinista forces split into two major political alliances: the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
(ALN) and the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC). The Sandinista forces are also running divided, as the dissident Sandinista Renovation Movement
(MRS) is pulling a significant amount of the moderated Sandinista and independent votes.
, established new rules for the contending parties in the elections.
The required percentages to win the Presidential Election was reduced from 45 to 40 percent. The electoral law states that a participating candidate must obtain a relative majority of at least 40 percent of the vote to win a presidential election. However, a candidate may win by obtaining at least 35 percent of the vote, with at least a five percent margin over the second place finisher. The law also established a second-round runoff election if none of the candidates won in the first round.
In addition, a party could also lose its legal status if it obtains less than 4 percent of the votes in the general elections.
Edén Pastora
, the former Sandinista
Deputy Defense Minister (1979-1981), was the presidential candidate for the Nicaraguan Democratic Action Party (PAD) in 1996. The Supreme Electoral Council
(CSE) barred him from running for the presidency on the grounds that he had Costa Rican nationality. In the 2004 municipal elections, Pastora
was running for mayor of Managua on the Independent Liberal Party's
ticket. Pastora
got less than 5% of the votes.
Vice-President: Mercedes Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio
, a Nicaraguan nurse, is Pastora's
running mate. Tenorio
was an active member of the Sandinista
Health Workers' Federation (FETSALUD).
José Rizo, co-founder of the PLC, and his running mate José Antonio Alvarado, who were also citizens of Chile
and the United States
, respectively, were prohibited from participating in the 1996 elections by the Supreme Electoral Council
(CSE). In 1997, under the government of Arnoldo Alemán
, Rizo was appointed president of the Nicaraguan Institute for Municipal Development (INIFOM). After the reforms to the Electoral Law in year 2000, part of the pact between the PLC and the FSLN
, Rizo was able to contest the 2001 elections where he was elected vice-president, running on the PLC ticket.
Vice-President: José Antonio Alvarado
José Antonio Alvarado, one of the founders of the PLC, and later expelled from it for his dissidence to Alemán
, held various ministerial portfolios during both the Alemán
and Bolaños
administration. Like his running mate, the CSE
excluded him from participating in the 2001 elections as the vice-presidential candidate of the Conservative Party
. In late August 2005, Eduardo Montealegre
, the ALN's
presidential candidate, invited Alvarado to join him as his vice-president. Alvarado was elected the presidential candidate of the Alliance for the Republic
(APRE) in the primaries held in May 2006 with about 82% of the votes. Shortly after APRE
joined the ALN
alliance and Alvarado went back to the PLC.
Eduardo Montealegre
, a former banker and economist, is the youngest and wealthiest of the five candidates. Like Alvarado, he held various ministerial portfolios during both the Alemán
and Bolaños
administration, including Foreign Minister with Alemán
and Treasury Minister under Bolaños
government. After his expulsion from the PLC he founded the ALN
together with other dissidents. Montealgre's
adversaries have criticized him for his involvement in the CENI bond operation – now a substantial part of the domestic debt – after several banks got into financial problems due to fraudulent practices over the course of 1999-2001.
Vice-President: Fabricio Cajina
Fabricio Cajina, an agricultural producer, was the Conservative
mayor of San José de los Remates
(2000-2004) in the department of Boaco
.
Daniel Ortega
, coordinator of the Junta of National Reconstruction
(1979-1985), ascended to the presidency after the 1984 elections. Ortega
, general secretary of the Sandinista National Liberation Front
, was President of Nicaragua
from 1985 to 1990 and presidential candidate of the FSLN
in 1990, 1996, 2001 and 2006. Prominent Sandinista leaders have left the party or have been expelled for dissenting to Ortega's power. Despite all, Ortega
is pulling in first place in the polls.
Vice-President: Jaime Morales Carazo
Jaime Morales Carazo
, the civilian chief of the Contras
in the eighties and Alemán's
right-hand man for many years, was one of the founders of the PLC and liberal legislator in the National Assembly
until 2006. Morales Carazo
began to distance himself politically from Alemán
and the PLC once Bolaños
came to office and launched his “war on corruption.”
Edmundo Jarquín
was the MRS
vice-presidential candidate. He took Herty Lewites
place when he died of a heart attack on 3 July 2006. Jarquín
founded in 1974, together with Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, editor of newspaper La Prensa
, the Democratic Liberation Union (UDEL) in the struggle against the Somoza
regime. Jarquín
was head of the Ministry of Foreign Cooperation between 1981-84 and ambassador to Mexico
(1984-88) and to Spain
(1988-1990). In the 1990 elections he gained a seat in the National Assembly
. Jarquín
worked as an Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB) official from 1992 to 2005 when he resigned and joined the MRS
electoral alliance.
Vice-President: Carlos Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy
is an internationally known and popular Nicaraguan singer-songwriter who stepped in as the vice-presidential candidate after Lewites
died. Mejía Godoy
is the father of Camilo Mejía
, one of the most famous conscientious objectors to the US war in Iraq.
( - AC) was part of the MRS Alliance
for a few months, but decided to go alone to the elections with presidential candidate Edén Pastora
. Alternative for Change
was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
(CCN) and a few stray Sandinistas, which first went under the name Christian Alternative led by former Sandinista legislator Orlando Tardencilla.
( - ALN) is formed by dissidents of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party and the Conservative Party
(PC), Alliance for the Republic
(APRE), Independent Liberal Party
(PLI), Nicaraguan Resistance Party
(PRN) and the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
(CCN).
-Convergence alliance in 2005, the Sandinista National Liberation Front
( - FSLN) formed the United Nicaragua Triumphs alliance. The allied political forces of the FSLN
are; Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Aslatakanka (YATAMA), the indigenous party from Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast, Christian Democratic Union
(UDC), Christian Unity Movement
(MUC), Popular Conservative Alliance
(APC) and a few smaller organisations of dissidents from the Liberal and Conservative Party
and a fraction of members from the Nicaraguan Resistance Party
, including members of the PLN, Somoza's
Liberal Party.
( - MRS), also known as the Herty 2006 Alliance in allusion to Herty Lewites
, the alliance original presidential candidate, runs in this election together with the Social Christian Party
(PSC), Nicaraguan Socialist Party
(PSN), Ecologist Green Party of Nicaragua
(PVEN), Party for Citizen Action
(PAC), the Movement for the Rescue of the Sandinismo and the Change-Reflection-Ethic-Action Movement (CREA). Various social groups are also part of the alliance, the most organized and belligerent of which is the Autonomous Women’s Movement.
highest decision-making body- was held on 26 February in Managua
. Lewites
had announced that he planned a march to the site of the event with his followers in support of his candidacy. Some 200 meters from the gates of the “Olofito” convention center where the Sandinista Assembly was meeting, they were stopped by a larger pro-Ortega
demonstration. For several minutes both bands literally went at each other with fists, stones and even clubs. The police had to intervene, placing themselves between the rival bands. In the Assembly, the official leadership responded by expelling Lewites
and his campaign chief Víctor Hugo Tinoco from the party.
A few days later, on 6 March, an extraordinary FSLN
congress was held in Matagalpa
. The outcome of this congress was the annulment of primary elections and the proclaim of Daniel Ortega
as the presidential candidate, successfully blocking Herty Lewites
presidential aspirations. The Sandinista grass roots would no longer be consulted on their choice for presidential candidate through primary elections. As Ortega
himself pointed out; "The truth is that primary elections cause a lot of problems due to the enormous erosion and friction they cause among Sandinistas."
Pro-Ortega
legislators are running for reelection together with cadres from the party structures and a few political figures from what is left of the FSLN's
Convergence alliance, such as Social Christian
Agustín Jarquín, Conservative
Miriam Argüello and Liberal
Julia Mena
, all former opponents of Ortega
.
Lewites
went on to form the Movement for the Rescue of the Sandinismo who joined the MRS Alliance
with Herty Lewites
as the presidential candidate for the Nicaraguan general election, 2006. The MRS
chose their legislative candidates based on surveys and bilateral contacts with their allies in the MRS Alliance
.
suddenly announces a form of primary election with 32 simultaneous conventions in the country’s 16 departments
on 31 March, and the winner would be ratified two days later during the National Convention.
PLC leaders also invited all dissident Liberals outside the PLC to participate in these primaries, voting for the candidate they consider best able to defeat the FSLN
, then rejoining the fold come what may. José Rizo
won the PLC primary elections.
The ALN
held also primary elections, but gave preference to unelected candidates, among them some of their allies in APRE
, PC
and the PRN
. Montealegre
attempted also -up to the last minute- to bring some pro-Alemán
leaders over to his side. He was only successful with Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios, son of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and former PLC candidate for Mayor of Managua.
and its ally YATAMA
got 45 seats between them both and the ALN
got the remaining five. The MRS Alliance
didn't pull enough votes to win a seat in the Regional Council.
have inhibited growth. Around 75% of the population lives on less than USD
2 a day, unemployment and underemployment are close to 50%, and income inequality is very pronounced. However, there have been some recent improvements. Real economic growth declined from 7.4% in 1999 to 1% in 2002, then turned around to grow back to 2.3% in 2003, and about 4% in 2004.
Another important issue is the pact established by the PLC and the FSLN
in 2000 in order to maintain control over key institutions such as the Supreme Court (CSJ) and the Supreme Electoral Council
(CSE), causing a profound institutional crisis in the Nicaraguan society. Both the two major anti-pact forces (ALN
and MRS
), and more recently, the PLC candidate, Rizo
, made public their intentions to dismantle the pact. Truth is that a "qualified majority" of 2/3 in the National Assembly
is needed to revert the 2000 reforms and this is not likely to happen according to the latest polls.
(MRS) candidate Edmundo Jarquín
stated that he supported therapeutic abortion when the life of the mother is at risk. Abortion under these circumstances had been legal in Nicaragua
since 1891. Abortion other than therapeutic is punishable by imprisonment from one to three years.
The religious sector condemned Jarquín
's statement, prompting the other four of the five presidential candidates to declare themselves against abortion. The FSLN
, which has an important relationship with former Managua
Archbishop Miguel Obando
, stated in general that they opposed abortion and were "pro-life". This was a reversal of traditional Sandinista policy.
The Catholic Church organised a march on the National Assembly
on 6 October to demand that therapeutic abortion be criminalized in the penal code. A march took place a few days later, organized by the Autonomous Women's Movement, a pro-choice organization that is part of the MRS Alliance
.
On 15 October, President Bolaños
sent to the National Assembly
a draft on a proposed reform of the penal code in order to penalize therapeutic abortion.
The National Assembly passed the law banning therapeutic abortions on 26 October 2006. It is widely expected that the president will sign it. A section of the law raising prison sentences for women undergoing abortions or doctors performing them from up to six years to up to 30 years was not passed.
:
and Rizo's
candidacies and supported Montealegre
and Sandinista dissident Edmundo Jarquín
. U.S. Rep. Dan Burton
, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
and Ambassador Paul Trivelli have all stated that an Ortega
victory could scare off foreign investors and threaten Nicaragua's relations with the United States
.
The Organization of American States
(OAS) mission in Nicaragua told the U.S. government not to meddle in Nicaragua's presidential election in October.
A pre-campaign study carried out by the independent Ethic and Transparency Civic Group between 1 July and 15 August, showed that the FSLN
was the party that spent more money during that period; C$
7,858,120. ALN
came in second with C$
3,153,571 followed by the PLC with C$
2,622,635. The MRS
spent C$
824,718 and the AC
had the smallest budget with C$
535,624.
According to the ALN
official, Eliseo Núñez, the party estimates its budget for the whole campaign in USD
6 to 8 millions. José Rizo's budget is also estimated in about USD
6 million. Edén Pastora
and his AC
will have an austere campaign with a USD
500,000 budget.
Both the left and the right have made allegations that their political opponents have received fundings from the United States
and Venezuela
respectively.
The United States
is investing between USD
10 and 13 million in the Nicaraguan elections providing support to the Supreme Electoral Council
(CSE), the Organisation of American States (OAS) election observer mission and in the training of ALN
and MRS
election officials.
On the other hand, the Sandinista Mayor of Managua, Dionisio Marenco, negotiated an agreement with the Venezuela
n state oil company PDVSA that allows Venezuelan oil to be imported directly to Nicaragua with preferential payment conditions. The first shipment of a total of 10 million barrels of oil (equivalent to the total annual demand in Nicaragua
) arrived to the country on October 2005. Nicaragua is in the middle of an energy crisis with increasing oil prices and a strict energy rationalization policy that leaves hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguan without power supply for several hours a day.
organized a television encounter between the presidential candidates, inviting all five to participate. Daniel Ortega
refused to take part leaving the "debate" to the remaining four; Eduardo Montealegre
, José Rizo, Edmundo Jarquín
and Edén Pastora
.
October poll sample size is 1,800. The margin of error is 3.2%.
http://elecciones.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2006/segunda-vuelta-a-la-vista/ http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B7FB31228-F305-4EB4-9368-77961630F037%7D&language=EN
M & R Consultores - Polls Conducted October 19-22, September 21 and August 10, 2006
UCA - Sponsored by END, Canal 10, CNC - Poll Conducted October, 2006
This poll sample size is 15,330. The margin of error is 0.8%. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/10/18/112630.shtml?s=os
CID-Gallup - Poll Conducted October, 2006 and August 16 to 19, 2006
The October poll sample size is 5,090. The margin of error is 2%. http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2006/octubre/21/noticias/politica/151356.shtml http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/21/AR2006102100013.html August poll sample size is 1,258. Methodology: Telephone interviews. Margin of error is 2.8%. http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/12989
will also be held on November 5. According to the September poll by M & R Consultores no party will gain enough seats to form a majority.
According to M & R, the FSLN
polls first on 7 of the country's 17 departments
, mostly on northern and western Nicaragua
. ALN-PC
is number one on 6 departments
in southern and eastern Nicaragua
, including the Southern Autonomous Region
(R.A.A.S.). The MRS
party leads the polls on 3 departments
including the nation's capital, Managua, and the PLC polls first in the department
of Boaco
.
UCA - Sponsored by END, Canal 10, CNC - October, 2006
According to this poll, the FSLN
wins in nine departments
, four of them with an absolute majority (over 50% of the intended votes). The ALN-PC
comes in second place winning in four departments
, the PLC third with three departments
and in last place, the MRS
being number one only in one department
(Carazo
).
National Deputies (91.6% counted http://www.elecciones2006.net.ni/escrutinio/general_p.html):
Departamental Deputies:
For Parlacen:
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
held a general election on 5 November 2006. The country's voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic
President of Nicaragua
The position of President of Nicaragua was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1838 the title of the position was known as Head of State and from 1838 to 1854 as Supreme Director .-Heads of State of Nicaragua within the Federal Republic of Central America...
and 90 members of the National Assembly
National Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
, all of whom will serve five-year terms. Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
(FSLN) won the race with 37.99% of the vote, Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
(ALN) trailing with 28.30%, José Rizo (PLC) with 27.1%, Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
(MRS) with 6.29%, and Edén Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
(AC) with just 0.29%.
Background
Right-wing political parties have dominated NicaraguaNicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n politics since independence in 1838. From the times of the antagonical Democratic
Democratic Party (Nicaragua)
The Democratic Party was a Nicaraguan political party in the 19th century. The power base of the liberal Democratic Party was in the city of León...
and Legitimist
Legitimist Party (Nicaragua)
The Legitimist Party was a conservative Nicaraguan political party in the 19th century. The power base of the Legitimist Party was in the city of Granada. The Legitimists were opposed to the Democrats...
parties, the Liberals and Conservatives have succeeded each other in the government with the exception of the Sandinista
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
rule from 1979 to 1990.
This two-party system, with two dominant political parties, has survived until our days with the difference that the two rival forces today are the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
and the self-appointed Democratic Forces (anti-Sandinistas).
In the last 16 years, the National Opposition Union
National Opposition Union
National Opposition Union was a wide-range cartel of opposition parties formed to contest Nicaragua's president Daniel Ortega in 1990 election. Its candidate Violeta Chamorro eventually won the race...
(UNO) in 1990, the Liberal Alliance
Liberal Alliance
Liberal Alliance may stand for:*Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, a political grouping in the European Parliament*Liberal Alliance of Montenegro, a political party active in Montenegro...
(AL) in 1996 and the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) in 2001 have all defeated the Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
(FSLN) candidate Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
in three consecutive presidential elections.
The current electoral scene could be the end of the bipartite scheme as the anti-Sandinista forces split into two major political alliances: the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
(ALN) and the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC). The Sandinista forces are also running divided, as the dissident Sandinista Renovation Movement
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
(MRS) is pulling a significant amount of the moderated Sandinista and independent votes.
Electoral reforms in 2000
The electoral reforms introduced in January 2000, as a result of the pact between the PLC and the FSLNSandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
, established new rules for the contending parties in the elections.
The required percentages to win the Presidential Election was reduced from 45 to 40 percent. The electoral law states that a participating candidate must obtain a relative majority of at least 40 percent of the vote to win a presidential election. However, a candidate may win by obtaining at least 35 percent of the vote, with at least a five percent margin over the second place finisher. The law also established a second-round runoff election if none of the candidates won in the first round.
In addition, a party could also lose its legal status if it obtains less than 4 percent of the votes in the general elections.
Alternative for Change
President: Edén PastoraEdén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
Edén Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
, the former Sandinista
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
Deputy Defense Minister (1979-1981), was the presidential candidate for the Nicaraguan Democratic Action Party (PAD) in 1996. The Supreme Electoral Council
Supreme Electoral Council
The Supreme Electoral Council is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing elections in Nicaragua....
(CSE) barred him from running for the presidency on the grounds that he had Costa Rican nationality. In the 2004 municipal elections, Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
was running for mayor of Managua on the Independent Liberal Party's
Independent Liberal Party (Nicaragua)
The Independent Liberal Party is a Nicaraguan centre-right political party separated from Somoza's Nationalist Liberal Party in 1944, and formed in 1947. PLI participated in 1984 election, winning 9.6% of vote for President with its candidate Virgilio Godoy...
ticket. Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
got less than 5% of the votes.
Vice-President: Mercedes Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio , a Nicaraguan nurse, was Edén Pastora's running mate in the Nicaraguan general election, 2006 for the Alternative for Change party. Tenorio was an active member of the Sandinista Health Workers' Federation .-References:...
Mercedes Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio , a Nicaraguan nurse, was Edén Pastora's running mate in the Nicaraguan general election, 2006 for the Alternative for Change party. Tenorio was an active member of the Sandinista Health Workers' Federation .-References:...
, a Nicaraguan nurse, is Pastora's
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
running mate. Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio
Mercedes Tenorio , a Nicaraguan nurse, was Edén Pastora's running mate in the Nicaraguan general election, 2006 for the Alternative for Change party. Tenorio was an active member of the Sandinista Health Workers' Federation .-References:...
was an active member of the Sandinista
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
Health Workers' Federation (FETSALUD).
Constitutionalist Liberal Party
President: José RizoJosé Rizo Castellón
José Rizo Castellón is a Nicaraguan politician, affiliated with the Constitutional Liberal Party . Rizo is a lawyer trained at the Catholic University of Chile; he also studied in the London School of Economics....
José Rizo, co-founder of the PLC, and his running mate José Antonio Alvarado, who were also citizens of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, respectively, were prohibited from participating in the 1996 elections by the Supreme Electoral Council
Supreme Electoral Council
The Supreme Electoral Council is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing elections in Nicaragua....
(CSE). In 1997, under the government of Arnoldo Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
, Rizo was appointed president of the Nicaraguan Institute for Municipal Development (INIFOM). After the reforms to the Electoral Law in year 2000, part of the pact between the PLC and the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
, Rizo was able to contest the 2001 elections where he was elected vice-president, running on the PLC ticket.
Vice-President: José Antonio Alvarado
José Antonio Alvarado, one of the founders of the PLC, and later expelled from it for his dissidence to Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
, held various ministerial portfolios during both the Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
and Bolaños
Enrique Bolaños
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer was the President of Nicaragua from 10 January 2002 to 10 January 2007. President Bolaños is of Spanish and German heritage and was born in Masaya ....
administration. Like his running mate, the CSE
Supreme Electoral Council
The Supreme Electoral Council is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing elections in Nicaragua....
excluded him from participating in the 2001 elections as the vice-presidential candidate of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Nicaragua
The Conservative Party is a conservative political party in Nicaragua.The party's colour is green and its emblem is a torch of freedom in a circle. Its slogan is “Dios, Orden, Justicia” , often depicted on the three sides of a triangle.-History:The conservative party is the oldest currently...
. In late August 2005, Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
, the ALN's
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
presidential candidate, invited Alvarado to join him as his vice-president. Alvarado was elected the presidential candidate of the Alliance for the Republic
Alliance for the Republic
The Alliance for the Republic is a right-wing liberal-conservative Nicaraguan political party founded in 2004 by dissident liberals from the Constitutional Liberal Party and the Conservative Party including Enrique Bolaños, who was President of Nicaragua at the time.APRE won 3 major offices in...
(APRE) in the primaries held in May 2006 with about 82% of the votes. Shortly after APRE
Alliance for the Republic
The Alliance for the Republic is a right-wing liberal-conservative Nicaraguan political party founded in 2004 by dissident liberals from the Constitutional Liberal Party and the Conservative Party including Enrique Bolaños, who was President of Nicaragua at the time.APRE won 3 major offices in...
joined the ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
alliance and Alvarado went back to the PLC.
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
President: Eduardo MontealegreEduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
, a former banker and economist, is the youngest and wealthiest of the five candidates. Like Alvarado, he held various ministerial portfolios during both the Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
and Bolaños
Enrique Bolaños
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer was the President of Nicaragua from 10 January 2002 to 10 January 2007. President Bolaños is of Spanish and German heritage and was born in Masaya ....
administration, including Foreign Minister with Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
and Treasury Minister under Bolaños
Enrique Bolaños
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer was the President of Nicaragua from 10 January 2002 to 10 January 2007. President Bolaños is of Spanish and German heritage and was born in Masaya ....
government. After his expulsion from the PLC he founded the ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
together with other dissidents. Montealgre's
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
adversaries have criticized him for his involvement in the CENI bond operation – now a substantial part of the domestic debt – after several banks got into financial problems due to fraudulent practices over the course of 1999-2001.
Vice-President: Fabricio Cajina
Fabricio Cajina, an agricultural producer, was the Conservative
Conservative Party of Nicaragua
The Conservative Party is a conservative political party in Nicaragua.The party's colour is green and its emblem is a torch of freedom in a circle. Its slogan is “Dios, Orden, Justicia” , often depicted on the three sides of a triangle.-History:The conservative party is the oldest currently...
mayor of San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 9,600 and an extension of 280.46 km². The economy is based mainly on agricultural and agropecuarian activities. The capital is the town of San José de Boaco located 96 km...
(2000-2004) in the department of Boaco
Boaco (department)
Boaco is a department in Nicaragua. It was formed in 1938 out of part of Chontales. It covers an area of 4,244 km² and has a population of 171,000 . The capital is the city of Boaco. Indigenous peoples are the Nuhuas and Sumos....
.
Sandinista National Liberation Front
President: Daniel OrtegaDaniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
, coordinator of the Junta of National Reconstruction
Junta of National Reconstruction
The Junta of National Reconstruction officially ruled Nicaragua from July 1979 to January 1985, though effective power was in the hands of the Sandinista National Liberation Front's National Directorate....
(1979-1985), ascended to the presidency after the 1984 elections. Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
, general secretary of the Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
, was President of Nicaragua
President of Nicaragua
The position of President of Nicaragua was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1838 the title of the position was known as Head of State and from 1838 to 1854 as Supreme Director .-Heads of State of Nicaragua within the Federal Republic of Central America...
from 1985 to 1990 and presidential candidate of the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
in 1990, 1996, 2001 and 2006. Prominent Sandinista leaders have left the party or have been expelled for dissenting to Ortega's power. Despite all, Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
is pulling in first place in the polls.
Vice-President: Jaime Morales Carazo
Jaime Morales Carazo
Jaime Rene Morales Carazo is a Nicaraguan politician currently serving as the country's Vice President.Morales was a banker and organized educational economical institutions in Nicaragua before entering politics in 1980. From 1979 to 1990 he lived in Honduras and Mexico while opposing the...
Jaime Morales Carazo
Jaime Morales Carazo
Jaime Rene Morales Carazo is a Nicaraguan politician currently serving as the country's Vice President.Morales was a banker and organized educational economical institutions in Nicaragua before entering politics in 1980. From 1979 to 1990 he lived in Honduras and Mexico while opposing the...
, the civilian chief of the Contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
in the eighties and Alemán's
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
right-hand man for many years, was one of the founders of the PLC and liberal legislator in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
until 2006. Morales Carazo
Jaime Morales Carazo
Jaime Rene Morales Carazo is a Nicaraguan politician currently serving as the country's Vice President.Morales was a banker and organized educational economical institutions in Nicaragua before entering politics in 1980. From 1979 to 1990 he lived in Honduras and Mexico while opposing the...
began to distance himself politically from Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
and the PLC once Bolaños
Enrique Bolaños
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer was the President of Nicaragua from 10 January 2002 to 10 January 2007. President Bolaños is of Spanish and German heritage and was born in Masaya ....
came to office and launched his “war on corruption.”
Sandinista Renovation Movement
President: Edmundo JarquínEdmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
was the MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
vice-presidential candidate. He took Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
place when he died of a heart attack on 3 July 2006. Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
founded in 1974, together with Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, editor of newspaper La Prensa
La Prensa (Managua)
La Prensa is a Nicaraguan newspaper, with offices in the capital Managua. Its current daily circulation is placed at 42,000.-Early years:La Prensa was founded by Pedro Belli, Gavry Rivas and Enrique Belli on March 2, 1926...
, the Democratic Liberation Union (UDEL) in the struggle against the Somoza
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
regime. Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
was head of the Ministry of Foreign Cooperation between 1981-84 and ambassador to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(1984-88) and to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(1988-1990). In the 1990 elections he gained a seat in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
. Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
worked as an Inter-American Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
(IDB) official from 1992 to 2005 when he resigned and joined the MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
electoral alliance.
Vice-President: Carlos Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy is a Nicaraguan musician, composer and singer. He was born in Somoto, Madriz. Son of Carlos Mejía Fajardo and María Elsa Godoy, his brother Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy, three years younger than he is, is also an acclaimed and much-loved musician. Carlos and Luis Enrique were...
Carlos Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy is a Nicaraguan musician, composer and singer. He was born in Somoto, Madriz. Son of Carlos Mejía Fajardo and María Elsa Godoy, his brother Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy, three years younger than he is, is also an acclaimed and much-loved musician. Carlos and Luis Enrique were...
is an internationally known and popular Nicaraguan singer-songwriter who stepped in as the vice-presidential candidate after Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
died. Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy
Carlos Mejía Godoy is a Nicaraguan musician, composer and singer. He was born in Somoto, Madriz. Son of Carlos Mejía Fajardo and María Elsa Godoy, his brother Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy, three years younger than he is, is also an acclaimed and much-loved musician. Carlos and Luis Enrique were...
is the father of Camilo Mejía
Camilo Mejía
Camilo Ernesto Mejía is a Nicaraguan American who was a former staff sergeant of the Florida National Guard, best known for being an anti-war activist and deserter...
, one of the most famous conscientious objectors to the US war in Iraq.
Alternative for Change
The Alternative for ChangeAlternative for Change
Alternative for Change , formerly known as "Christian Alternative," is a Nicaraguan political party.It was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path , most notably Orlando Tardencilla...
( - AC) was part of the MRS Alliance
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
for a few months, but decided to go alone to the elections with presidential candidate Edén Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
. Alternative for Change
Alternative for Change
Alternative for Change , formerly known as "Christian Alternative," is a Nicaraguan political party.It was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path , most notably Orlando Tardencilla...
was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
The Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path is a Nicaraguan political party founded in 1996 by the Assemblies of God pastor Guillermo Osorno. CCN participated for the first time in the Nicaraguan general elections in 1996 where they got 4.10% of the votes and 4 seats in the National Assembly.In...
(CCN) and a few stray Sandinistas, which first went under the name Christian Alternative led by former Sandinista legislator Orlando Tardencilla.
Constitutionalist Liberal Party
The Constitutionalist Liberal Party ( - PLC) is in alliance with the Worker's Permanent Congress (CPT), a civil organisation formed around several smaller parties, labor unions and political movements.Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal AllianceNicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
( - ALN) is formed by dissidents of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party and the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Nicaragua
The Conservative Party is a conservative political party in Nicaragua.The party's colour is green and its emblem is a torch of freedom in a circle. Its slogan is “Dios, Orden, Justicia” , often depicted on the three sides of a triangle.-History:The conservative party is the oldest currently...
(PC), Alliance for the Republic
Alliance for the Republic
The Alliance for the Republic is a right-wing liberal-conservative Nicaraguan political party founded in 2004 by dissident liberals from the Constitutional Liberal Party and the Conservative Party including Enrique Bolaños, who was President of Nicaragua at the time.APRE won 3 major offices in...
(APRE), Independent Liberal Party
Independent Liberal Party (Nicaragua)
The Independent Liberal Party is a Nicaraguan centre-right political party separated from Somoza's Nationalist Liberal Party in 1944, and formed in 1947. PLI participated in 1984 election, winning 9.6% of vote for President with its candidate Virgilio Godoy...
(PLI), Nicaraguan Resistance Party
Nicaraguan Resistance Party
The Nicaraguan Resistance Party is a Nicaraguan political party founded in 1993 by the Contras, the armed opposition to the Sandinista government in the 1980s....
(PRN) and the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
The Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path is a Nicaraguan political party founded in 1996 by the Assemblies of God pastor Guillermo Osorno. CCN participated for the first time in the Nicaraguan general elections in 1996 where they got 4.10% of the votes and 4 seats in the National Assembly.In...
(CCN).
Sandinista National Liberation Front
After the break-up of the FSLNSandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
-Convergence alliance in 2005, the Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
( - FSLN) formed the United Nicaragua Triumphs alliance. The allied political forces of the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
are; Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Aslatakanka (YATAMA), the indigenous party from Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast, Christian Democratic Union
Nicaraguan Christian Democratic Union
The Christian Democratic Union is a Nicaraguan political party founded by the center-left Popular Social Christian Party and the center-right Democratic Party of National Confidence in 1992. As of 2006, the UDC is part of the Sandinista National Liberation Front alliance....
(UDC), Christian Unity Movement
Christian Unity Movement
Christian Unity Movement , was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path in year 2000. As of 2006, MUC is part of the Sandinista National Liberation Front alliance....
(MUC), Popular Conservative Alliance
Popular Conservative Alliance
The Popular Conservative Alliance is a right-wing conservative Nicaraguan political party. The APC split from the Democratic Conservative Party in 1984 and received legal status in 1989. As of 2006, the APC and its leader, Miriam Argüello, is in alliance with the Sandinista National Liberation...
(APC) and a few smaller organisations of dissidents from the Liberal and Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Nicaragua
The Conservative Party is a conservative political party in Nicaragua.The party's colour is green and its emblem is a torch of freedom in a circle. Its slogan is “Dios, Orden, Justicia” , often depicted on the three sides of a triangle.-History:The conservative party is the oldest currently...
and a fraction of members from the Nicaraguan Resistance Party
Nicaraguan Resistance Party
The Nicaraguan Resistance Party is a Nicaraguan political party founded in 1993 by the Contras, the armed opposition to the Sandinista government in the 1980s....
, including members of the PLN, Somoza's
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
Liberal Party.
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation MovementSandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
( - MRS), also known as the Herty 2006 Alliance in allusion to Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
, the alliance original presidential candidate, runs in this election together with the Social Christian Party
Nicaraguan Social Christian Party
The Social Christian Party is a Nicaraguan political party with Christian democrat ideology founded in 1957. As of 2006, the PSC is part of the Sandinista Renovation Movement alliance in the Nicaraguan general election, 2006....
(PSC), Nicaraguan Socialist Party
Nicaraguan Socialist Party
The Nicaraguan Socialist Party is a political party in Nicaragua. Founded in July 1944 by Dr. Mario Flores Ortiz. PSN operated as the official communist party in the country. At the time of its foundation, PSN supported the regime of Anastasio Somoza García. PSN considered that Somoza was an...
(PSN), Ecologist Green Party of Nicaragua
Ecologist Green Party of Nicaragua
The Ecologist Green Party of Nicaragua is a political party in Nicaragua. It was founded in Managua on November 23, 2003. The president of the organisation is Edward Martín Salazar Cruz...
(PVEN), Party for Citizen Action
Party for Citizen Action
The Party for Citizen Action is a Nicaraguan political party founded by the former legislative representative of the Sandinista Renovation Movement in the National Assembly , Jorge Samper. After an ephemeral alliance with Alliance for the Republic in 2005, the PAC is, as of 2006, part of the MRS...
(PAC), the Movement for the Rescue of the Sandinismo and the Change-Reflection-Ethic-Action Movement (CREA). Various social groups are also part of the alliance, the most organized and belligerent of which is the Autonomous Women’s Movement.
Sandinistas
The Sandinista Assembly -FSLN'sSandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
highest decision-making body- was held on 26 February in Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
. Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
had announced that he planned a march to the site of the event with his followers in support of his candidacy. Some 200 meters from the gates of the “Olofito” convention center where the Sandinista Assembly was meeting, they were stopped by a larger pro-Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
demonstration. For several minutes both bands literally went at each other with fists, stones and even clubs. The police had to intervene, placing themselves between the rival bands. In the Assembly, the official leadership responded by expelling Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
and his campaign chief Víctor Hugo Tinoco from the party.
A few days later, on 6 March, an extraordinary FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
congress was held in Matagalpa
Matagalpa
Matagalpa is a city in Nicaragua, the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 109,100 , while the population of the department is more than 480,000. Matagalpa is Nicaragua's fifth largest city and one of its most commercially active outside of Managua...
. The outcome of this congress was the annulment of primary elections and the proclaim of Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
as the presidential candidate, successfully blocking Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
presidential aspirations. The Sandinista grass roots would no longer be consulted on their choice for presidential candidate through primary elections. As Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
himself pointed out; "The truth is that primary elections cause a lot of problems due to the enormous erosion and friction they cause among Sandinistas."
Pro-Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
legislators are running for reelection together with cadres from the party structures and a few political figures from what is left of the FSLN's
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
Convergence alliance, such as Social Christian
Nicaraguan Christian Democratic Union
The Christian Democratic Union is a Nicaraguan political party founded by the center-left Popular Social Christian Party and the center-right Democratic Party of National Confidence in 1992. As of 2006, the UDC is part of the Sandinista National Liberation Front alliance....
Agustín Jarquín, Conservative
Popular Conservative Alliance
The Popular Conservative Alliance is a right-wing conservative Nicaraguan political party. The APC split from the Democratic Conservative Party in 1984 and received legal status in 1989. As of 2006, the APC and its leader, Miriam Argüello, is in alliance with the Sandinista National Liberation...
Miriam Argüello and Liberal
Independent Liberal Party (Nicaragua)
The Independent Liberal Party is a Nicaraguan centre-right political party separated from Somoza's Nationalist Liberal Party in 1944, and formed in 1947. PLI participated in 1984 election, winning 9.6% of vote for President with its candidate Virgilio Godoy...
Julia Mena
Julia Mena
-Background and earlier career:Her profession was as a school teacher.She was a deputy in National Assembly of Nicaragua and also served as first vice president of National Assembly.-Political affiliation:She is a member of the Independent Liberal Party party....
, all former opponents of Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
.
Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
went on to form the Movement for the Rescue of the Sandinismo who joined the MRS Alliance
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
with Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites
Herty Lewites Rodríguez was a Nicaraguan politician of Jewish descent.Lewites was born in the San Felipe barrio of Jinotepe, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He joined the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship in 1958 and went into exile in Brazil in 1960...
as the presidential candidate for the Nicaraguan general election, 2006. The MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
chose their legislative candidates based on surveys and bilateral contacts with their allies in the MRS Alliance
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
.
Liberals
In the light of PLC’s victory in the atlantic coast elections on March 2006, the PLC announced it would not hold primary elections to select its presidential candidate, arguing lack of finances. Instead the 750 party delegates from all over the country would do the selecting at the PLC National Convention on 2 April. On 22 March, AlemánArnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
suddenly announces a form of primary election with 32 simultaneous conventions in the country’s 16 departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
on 31 March, and the winner would be ratified two days later during the National Convention.
PLC leaders also invited all dissident Liberals outside the PLC to participate in these primaries, voting for the candidate they consider best able to defeat the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
, then rejoining the fold come what may. José Rizo
José Rizo Castellón
José Rizo Castellón is a Nicaraguan politician, affiliated with the Constitutional Liberal Party . Rizo is a lawyer trained at the Catholic University of Chile; he also studied in the London School of Economics....
won the PLC primary elections.
The ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
held also primary elections, but gave preference to unelected candidates, among them some of their allies in APRE
Alliance for the Republic
The Alliance for the Republic is a right-wing liberal-conservative Nicaraguan political party founded in 2004 by dissident liberals from the Constitutional Liberal Party and the Conservative Party including Enrique Bolaños, who was President of Nicaragua at the time.APRE won 3 major offices in...
, PC
Conservative Party of Nicaragua
The Conservative Party is a conservative political party in Nicaragua.The party's colour is green and its emblem is a torch of freedom in a circle. Its slogan is “Dios, Orden, Justicia” , often depicted on the three sides of a triangle.-History:The conservative party is the oldest currently...
and the PRN
Nicaraguan Resistance Party
The Nicaraguan Resistance Party is a Nicaraguan political party founded in 1993 by the Contras, the armed opposition to the Sandinista government in the 1980s....
. Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
attempted also -up to the last minute- to bring some pro-Alemán
Arnoldo Alemán
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo was the 81st President of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002.-Biography:Alemán was born in Managua and received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua...
leaders over to his side. He was only successful with Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios, son of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and former PLC candidate for Mayor of Managua.
Pre-campaign
The Atlantic Coast elections of March 2006, was an excellent opportunity for the parties and candidates competing in the general election to show their strength. The results gave the PLC a significant victory with 40 seats out of 90 in the Regional Councils. The FSLNSandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
and its ally YATAMA
YATAMA
Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Aslatakanka is an indigenous party from Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast. YATAMA has its roots in the MISURASATA and the MISURA/KISAN organisations...
got 45 seats between them both and the ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
got the remaining five. The MRS Alliance
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
didn't pull enough votes to win a seat in the Regional Council.
Issues
One of the most important issues of the 2006 elections is the economy. The high external debt and internal debtInternal debt
Internal debt is the part of the total debt in a country that is owed to lenders within the country. Internal debt's complement is external debt....
have inhibited growth. Around 75% of the population lives on less than USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2 a day, unemployment and underemployment are close to 50%, and income inequality is very pronounced. However, there have been some recent improvements. Real economic growth declined from 7.4% in 1999 to 1% in 2002, then turned around to grow back to 2.3% in 2003, and about 4% in 2004.
Another important issue is the pact established by the PLC and the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
in 2000 in order to maintain control over key institutions such as the Supreme Court (CSJ) and the Supreme Electoral Council
Supreme Electoral Council
The Supreme Electoral Council is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing elections in Nicaragua....
(CSE), causing a profound institutional crisis in the Nicaraguan society. Both the two major anti-pact forces (ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
and MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
), and more recently, the PLC candidate, Rizo
José Rizo Castellón
José Rizo Castellón is a Nicaraguan politician, affiliated with the Constitutional Liberal Party . Rizo is a lawyer trained at the Catholic University of Chile; he also studied in the London School of Economics....
, made public their intentions to dismantle the pact. Truth is that a "qualified majority" of 2/3 in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
is needed to revert the 2000 reforms and this is not likely to happen according to the latest polls.
Abortion becomes a Campaign Issue
In late August, the Sandinista Renovation MovementSandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
(MRS) candidate Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
stated that he supported therapeutic abortion when the life of the mother is at risk. Abortion under these circumstances had been legal in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
since 1891. Abortion other than therapeutic is punishable by imprisonment from one to three years.
The religious sector condemned Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
's statement, prompting the other four of the five presidential candidates to declare themselves against abortion. The FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
, which has an important relationship with former Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
Archbishop Miguel Obando
Miguel Obando y Bravo
Miguel Obando y Bravo is a Nicaraguan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Managua from 1985 until his resignation on 12 March 2005. On 25 May 1985, he was selected by Pope John Paul II to be cardinal in Central America...
, stated in general that they opposed abortion and were "pro-life". This was a reversal of traditional Sandinista policy.
The Catholic Church organised a march on the National Assembly
National Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
on 6 October to demand that therapeutic abortion be criminalized in the penal code. A march took place a few days later, organized by the Autonomous Women's Movement, a pro-choice organization that is part of the MRS Alliance
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
.
On 15 October, President Bolaños
Enrique Bolaños
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer was the President of Nicaragua from 10 January 2002 to 10 January 2007. President Bolaños is of Spanish and German heritage and was born in Masaya ....
sent to the National Assembly
National Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
a draft on a proposed reform of the penal code in order to penalize therapeutic abortion.
The National Assembly passed the law banning therapeutic abortions on 26 October 2006. It is widely expected that the president will sign it. A section of the law raising prison sentences for women undergoing abortions or doctors performing them from up to six years to up to 30 years was not passed.
Electoral programmes
In SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
:
- Alternative for Change
- Constitutionalist Liberal Party
- Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
- Sandinista National Liberation Front
- Sandinista Renovation Movement
The U.S. and the Nicaraguan elections
U.S. officials have openly opposed Ortega'sDaniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
and Rizo's
José Rizo Castellón
José Rizo Castellón is a Nicaraguan politician, affiliated with the Constitutional Liberal Party . Rizo is a lawyer trained at the Catholic University of Chile; he also studied in the London School of Economics....
candidacies and supported Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
and Sandinista dissident Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
. U.S. Rep. Dan Burton
Dan Burton
Danny "Dan" Lee Burton is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving since 1983. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Miguel Gutierrez is an American former CEO and former U.S. Cabinet Member who is currently a Vice Chairman of Citigroup's Institutional Clients Group. He has previously served as the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009...
and Ambassador Paul Trivelli have all stated that an Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
victory could scare off foreign investors and threaten Nicaragua's relations with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
(OAS) mission in Nicaragua told the U.S. government not to meddle in Nicaragua's presidential election in October.
Finances
According to the Nicaraguan Electoral Law, the parties are forced to report most donations, but only those received from the date of the official opening of the campaign (19 August) to the day of the elections (5 November). Minor individual donations do not need to be disclosed. The parties will be refunded after the elections in proportion to the amount of votes each of them obtain.A pre-campaign study carried out by the independent Ethic and Transparency Civic Group between 1 July and 15 August, showed that the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
was the party that spent more money during that period; C$
Nicaraguan córdoba
- History :The first córdoba was introduced on March 20, 1912. It replaced the peso at a rate of 12½ pesos = 1 córdoba & was initially equal to the US dollar. It was named after the founder of Nicaragua, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba....
7,858,120. ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
came in second with C$
Nicaraguan córdoba
- History :The first córdoba was introduced on March 20, 1912. It replaced the peso at a rate of 12½ pesos = 1 córdoba & was initially equal to the US dollar. It was named after the founder of Nicaragua, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba....
3,153,571 followed by the PLC with C$
Nicaraguan córdoba
- History :The first córdoba was introduced on March 20, 1912. It replaced the peso at a rate of 12½ pesos = 1 córdoba & was initially equal to the US dollar. It was named after the founder of Nicaragua, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba....
2,622,635. The MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
spent C$
Nicaraguan córdoba
- History :The first córdoba was introduced on March 20, 1912. It replaced the peso at a rate of 12½ pesos = 1 córdoba & was initially equal to the US dollar. It was named after the founder of Nicaragua, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba....
824,718 and the AC
Alternative for Change
Alternative for Change , formerly known as "Christian Alternative," is a Nicaraguan political party.It was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path , most notably Orlando Tardencilla...
had the smallest budget with C$
Nicaraguan córdoba
- History :The first córdoba was introduced on March 20, 1912. It replaced the peso at a rate of 12½ pesos = 1 córdoba & was initially equal to the US dollar. It was named after the founder of Nicaragua, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba....
535,624.
According to the ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
official, Eliseo Núñez, the party estimates its budget for the whole campaign in USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
6 to 8 millions. José Rizo's budget is also estimated in about USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
6 million. Edén Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
and his AC
Alternative for Change
Alternative for Change , formerly known as "Christian Alternative," is a Nicaraguan political party.It was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path , most notably Orlando Tardencilla...
will have an austere campaign with a USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
500,000 budget.
Both the left and the right have made allegations that their political opponents have received fundings from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
respectively.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is investing between USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10 and 13 million in the Nicaraguan elections providing support to the Supreme Electoral Council
Supreme Electoral Council
The Supreme Electoral Council is an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing elections in Nicaragua....
(CSE), the Organisation of American States (OAS) election observer mission and in the training of ALN
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
and MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
election officials.
On the other hand, the Sandinista Mayor of Managua, Dionisio Marenco, negotiated an agreement with the Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n state oil company PDVSA that allows Venezuelan oil to be imported directly to Nicaragua with preferential payment conditions. The first shipment of a total of 10 million barrels of oil (equivalent to the total annual demand in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
) arrived to the country on October 2005. Nicaragua is in the middle of an energy crisis with increasing oil prices and a strict energy rationalization policy that leaves hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguan without power supply for several hours a day.
Forum
Early in September, CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
organized a television encounter between the presidential candidates, inviting all five to participate. Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
refused to take part leaving the "debate" to the remaining four; Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre
Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party...
, José Rizo, Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín
Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the...
and Edén Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
.
Presidential election
Borge & Asociados - Polls Conducted October 15-222, October 5-121, September 13, and August 5, 2006| Party | Candidate | October 20062 | October 20061 | September 2006 | August 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSLN | Daniel Ortega Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista... |
34.4% | 30.6% | 26.8% | 31.4% | |
| ALN | Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party... |
23.0% | 22.4% | 23.9% | 29.1% | |
| MRS | Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the... |
10.9% | 10.1% | 19.1% | 15.2% | |
| PLC | José Rizo | 19.3% | 14.6% | 16.4% | 15.7% | |
| AC | Edén Pastora Edén Pastora Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections... |
0.9% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 1.1% | |
October poll sample size is 1,800. The margin of error is 3.2%.
http://elecciones.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2006/segunda-vuelta-a-la-vista/ http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B7FB31228-F305-4EB4-9368-77961630F037%7D&language=EN
M & R Consultores - Polls Conducted October 19-22, September 21 and August 10, 2006
| Party | Candidate | October 2006 | September 2006 | August 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSLN | Daniel Ortega Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista... |
33.8% | 34.2% | 34.9% | |
| ALN | Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party... |
25.4% | 29.2% | 27.2% | |
| MRS | Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the... |
14.8% | 17.6% | 21.6% | |
| PLC | José Rizo | 17.1% | 18.0% | 14.9% | |
| AC | Edén Pastora Edén Pastora Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections... |
0.6% | 1.0% | 1.4% | |
UCA - Sponsored by END, Canal 10, CNC - Poll Conducted October, 2006
| Party | Candidate | October 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSLN | Daniel Ortega Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista... |
37.50% | |
| ALN | Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party... |
17.31% | |
| MRS | Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the... |
12.90% | |
| PLC | José Rizo | 20.11% | |
| AC | Edén Pastora Edén Pastora Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections... |
1.00% | |
| N/A | Don't know/Didn't answer | 11.18% | |
This poll sample size is 15,330. The margin of error is 0.8%. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/10/18/112630.shtml?s=os
CID-Gallup - Poll Conducted October, 2006 and August 16 to 19, 2006
| Party | Candidate | October 2006 | August 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSLN | Daniel Ortega Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista... |
32.5% | 29% | |
| ALN | Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre Eduardo Montealegre is a Nicaraguan politician. He ran for president in the 2006 general election as the candidate of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party... |
21.1% | 23% | |
| MRS | Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín Edmundo Jarquín is a Nicaraguan politician. He was the vice presidential running-mate of Herty Lewites, who was the presidential candidate for the MRS Sandinista Renovation Movement in the 2006 elections until his death on July 2, 2006. Edmundo Jarquín became the presidential candidate for the... |
11.8% | 14% | |
| PLC | José Rizo | 16.8% | 14% | |
| AC | Edén Pastora Edén Pastora Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections... |
0.2% | 1% | |
| N/A | Don't know/Didn't answer | 17.6% | 19% | |
The October poll sample size is 5,090. The margin of error is 2%. http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2006/octubre/21/noticias/politica/151356.shtml http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/21/AR2006102100013.html August poll sample size is 1,258. Methodology: Telephone interviews. Margin of error is 2.8%. http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/12989
Parliamentary election
The elections of 90 representatives to the National AssemblyNational Assembly of Nicaragua
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nicaragua.-Composition:The Nicaraguan legislature is a unicameral body....
will also be held on November 5. According to the September poll by M & R Consultores no party will gain enough seats to form a majority.
| Party | September 2006 | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSLN | 34.7% | 35 | |
| ALN | 28.1% | 29 | |
| MRS | 17.9% | 14 | |
| PLC | 18.1% | 12 | |
| AC | 1.2% | 0 | |
According to M & R, the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
polls first on 7 of the country's 17 departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
, mostly on northern and western Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. ALN-PC
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
is number one on 6 departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
in southern and eastern Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, including the Southern Autonomous Region
Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur
Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur , sometimes shortened to RAAS, is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 27,407 km² and has a population of 382,100...
(R.A.A.S.). The MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
party leads the polls on 3 departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
including the nation's capital, Managua, and the PLC polls first in the department
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
of Boaco
Boaco (department)
Boaco is a department in Nicaragua. It was formed in 1938 out of part of Chontales. It covers an area of 4,244 km² and has a population of 171,000 . The capital is the city of Boaco. Indigenous peoples are the Nuhuas and Sumos....
.
UCA - Sponsored by END, Canal 10, CNC - October, 2006
| Party | October 2006 | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSLN | 37.30% | 40 | |
| ALN | 16.06% | 19 | |
| MRS | 14.03% | 12 | |
| PLC | 20.50% | 19 | |
| AC | 2.72% | 0 | |
| Don't know/Didn't answer | 9.37% | N/A | |
According to this poll, the FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
wins in nine departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
, four of them with an absolute majority (over 50% of the intended votes). The ALN-PC
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance
The Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance is a political party in Nicaragua. It was started in 2005 by Eduardo Montealegre and other members of the Constitutional Liberal Party who opposed former President of the country Arnoldo Alemán's continued control of the PLC even after he had been found guilty of...
comes in second place winning in four departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
, the PLC third with three departments
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
and in last place, the MRS
Sandinista Renovation Movement
The Sandinista Renovation Movement is a Nicaraguan political party founded by dissidents of the Sandinista National Liberation Front on May 18, 1995, on Augusto César Sandino's 100th anniversary...
being number one only in one department
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...
(Carazo
Carazo (department)
Carazo is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 1,081.40 km² and has a population of 177,100 . The capital is Jinotepe.- Municipalities :# Diriamba# Dolores# El Rosario# Jinotepe# La Conquista# La Paz de Carazo# San Marcos...
).
Election results
For President:National Deputies (91.6% counted http://www.elecciones2006.net.ni/escrutinio/general_p.html):
Departamental Deputies:
| Party | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| FSLN | 37.90% | |
| ALN | 26.66% | |
| MRS | 8.42% | |
| PLC | 26.46% | |
| AC | 0.55% | |
For Parlacen:
| Party | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| FSLN | 37.70% | |
| ALN | 26.87% | |
| MRS | 8.35% | |
| PLC | 26.51% | |
| AC | 0.58% | |
External links
- La Voz del Sandinismo - News of the FSLN, Nicaragua and the World
- Alianza Nicaragua Primero PLC Official site
- Rizo 2007 official campaign site
- Alianza MRS official site
- ALN official campaign site
- ALN official site
- ALN-PC campaign site
- Edén Pastora official site
- FSLN official campaign site
- FSLN official site
- PVEN official site
- PVEN site in English
- Documentary following the 2006 election