(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Nicaragua remain opposed to allowing Daniel Ortega to seek a new term in office, according to a poll by M&R published in La Prensa. 66.4 per cent of respondents would support the president’s re-election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Nicaragua remain opposed to allowing Daniel Ortega to seek a new term in office, according to a poll by M&R published in La Prensa. 66.4 per cent of respondents would support the president’s re-election.
In November 2006, Ortega—a member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN)—won the presidential election with 37.99 per cent of all cast ballots. Presidential candidates in Nicaragua are not compelled to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote in order to win the election.
Ortega governed from 1985 to 1990, but was a losing candidate in the 1990, 1996 and 2001 ballots. In January 2007, he was sworn in for a five-year term.
Consecutive presidential re-election is currently not permitted in Nicaragua. Since 1995, presidential re-election in the Central American country is only allowed once and in non-consecutive terms. Ortega has repeatedly suggested that the five-year presidential term is too short and that the current law, enshrined in the constitution, should be revised.
In November 2008, Nicaraguans voted on nationwide municipal elections. Ortega, based on partial returns, declared that the FSLN had won 105 of 146 races in the country. Members of the opposition Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) refused to accept the president’s statement. The government denied permits to election observers for this particular election. The civic group Ethics and Transparency said it found irregularities in three out of every 10 polling stations during its independent monitoring.
Earlier this month, PLC spokesperson Leonel Teller called for changes in existing electoral guidelines, saying, "Nicaragua needs to return confidence to the electorate and the international community after the fraud perpetrated by the FSLN. (…) In our view, the presence of electoral monitors, foreign or domestic, should be regulated by law."
Polling Data
Would you support Daniel Ortega’s re-election?
|
Apr. 2009 |
Aug. 2008 |
May 2008 |
|
|
Yes |
24.9% |
19.6% |
15.7% |
|
No |
66.4% |
70.9% |
76.5% |
|
Not sure |
8.7% |
9.5% |
7.8% |
Source: M&R / La Prensa
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Nicaraguan adults, conducted from Mar. 18 to Apr. 9, 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.
