Elections are a fundamental pillar of democracy, but they are also organized in non-democratic contexts. This is the case in Nicaragua, where presidential elections will be held on the 7th of November. The question is: what role will they play?
In a context of denial of free political participation, it is possible to foresee, in the first place, a 'self-proclamation' of Ortega as the winner of the elections. With him comes the closed circle of a political elite with financial resources that could play a key role in support of the president. Second, the elections will endorse the 'self-legitimization' of the president's fourth consecutive term. This, in turn, will imply impunity for state agents and civilian bodies acting with governmental blessing who, since 2018, have been accused of serious human rights violations and even crimes against humanity. Third, the defamation and criminalization of the opposition and human rights defenders is combined with a 'self-isolation' of Nicaragua with respect to the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS).
