Carter Center Criticizes Ortega’s Veto on Election Observers in Nicaragua
“An attack on the international community”
HAVANA TIMES – The Carter Center, which has accompanied Nicaragua’s electoral processes for the last 20 years, issued a pronouncement on Tuesday regarding Comandante Ortega’s refusal to allow observation of the general elections scheduled for November. The Center’s pronouncement catalogued this refusal as “an attack on the international community” and lamented Ortega’s decision to close the doors to international observation.
The statement sent to Confidencial’s editorial board and posted on the Center’s website reads:
“President Daniel Ortega has closed the door to international observation of national elections to be held on November 6, 2016, despite the clamor for observation by a majority of the Nicaraguan people.
“In an attack on the international community, President Ortega rejected an opportunity to confirm Nicaragua’s adherence to democratic standards of electoral processes that provide guarantees to citizens and encourage participation.”
The Carter Center has observed 101 elections across the globe, including four in Nicaragua between 1990 and 2006, with integrity and support for democratic practices. We had welcomed the possibility of observing this year’s elections in Nicaragua and lament this decision to ignore a key component of Nicaragua’s own electoral law.”