Regional Elections
Suspended in Nicaragua
The Supreme Electoral
Council's decision to
suspend elections in
three municipalities of
the Nicaraguan Atlantic
coast is a harsh blow to
the Nicaraguan rightwing
opposition.
Electoral authorities
decided by consensus on
Friday to postpone
elections in Waspam,
Puerto Cabezas and
Prinzapolka, contrary to
what the right was
asking for, and rejected
the attempt to suspend
them in the whole
region.
The Nicaraguan Atlantic
coast was seriously
affected several months
ago by hurricane Felix,
which caused serious
material and human
damage.
Supreme Electoral
Council (CSE) chairman
Roberto Rivas set the
new election date for
April, 2009.
Besides the damage
caused by hurricane
Felix, Friday´s riots
encouraged by the
Constitutionalist
Liberal Party
parliamentarians
influenced Rivas'
decision.
It is not possible to
hold elections amid this
situation, said Rivas,
who stated that the
measure is supported by
the country's
Constitution and the
RAAN's autonomy law.
According to analysts,
the right-wing
destabilizing plan was a
disaster, because now
criminal charges have
been pressed against one
of their main political
figure: Parliament
member Enrique Quiñones.
Brooklin Rivera, of the
Yatama party and an ally
of the FSLN (Sandinista
National Liberation
Front), filed the case
with the Attorney
General's Office.
Rivera made Quiñones and
several liberal
parliament members
responsible for the
riots in Puerto Cabezas,
which left several
people wounded and
material damage to the
regional mayor's office.
Police commissioner and
spokeswoman Vilma Reyes
called serious the
events in the RAAN, and
said a top level
commission will be sent
to investigate the
incidents. |
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