As Nicaragua’s presidential election draws closer, ballots and urns were distributed by the Army and the Supreme Electoral Council throughout the Central American country.
On Monday (November 1) the Chief of the Nicaraguan Army, General Julio Cesar Aviles stressed the army’s support for the Council, the public body responsible for organising elections and counting votes.
“We respect the vote of our people who hold sovereignty to elect our authorities and it is the Supreme Electoral Council who will establish who is elected in this electoral process,” said Aviles during a televised event to initiate the distribution of ballots.
There are only three candidates opposing former president Daniel Ortega and vice president Rosario Murillo. In past months, seven rival presidential hopefuls have been imprisoned, accused of crimes from money laundering to treason.
Walter Espinoza from the Constitutional Liberal Party, Gerson Gutierrez from the Alliance for The Republic and Mauricio Orue from the Independent Liberal Party will be seen in the ballot along with Ortega.
But some Nicaraguans are still not sure of what they will do with their vote. “They promise and promise. That’s what politicians do and then they just forget about you. In the last minute, we’ll see who we give our vote to,” local Julio Gonzalez told Reuters.
Nevertheless, Ortega is poised to win a fourth consecutive term, extending his run as the longest-serving ruler in the Americas until at least January 2027.
