MEXICO CITY — Nicaraguan riot officers have taken control of five municipal halls that were in the possession of an opposition party four months before scheduled municipal elections.
Kitty Monterrey is the president of Citizens for Freedom. This political party was disallowed by Nicaragua’s government before the presidential elections last year.
Oscar Gadea Tinoco (mayor of Pantasma) and member of Citizens for Freedom also stated that his community was occupied by police on Saturday.
Monterrey stated Monday via Twitter that “all mayor’s offices legitimately voted under the flag Citizens for Freedom, were taken by the regime.” She demanded President Daniel Ortega to respect the well-being and dignity of those who were forced out of office.
Citizens for Freedom won all three of these town halls during the 2017 election. However, President Daniel Ortega was not open to the idea of allowing opposition voices to be heard during last year’s presidential elections. Seven prominent opposition figures, who could have challenged Ortega’s presidency bid, were taken into police custody.
Ortega won a fourth consecutive term, a victory that the United States and European Union dismissed in elections. The opposition figures are still in detention.
The Nicaraguan government did not comment on the takeovers.
Noel Moreno was the deposed mayor in San Sebastian de Yali, northwest Nicaragua. He said that about 50 heavily armed riot officers and members from Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front entered the town offices on Monday morning.
Moreno stated that “the seat remains under the control of riot police”, and added that he wasn’t there when police arrived. He wasn’t sure if the staff of the town were still there or had been relocated.
He stated that Sandinista’s town council members had “already designated themselves mayor and vice-mayor” before he raised the Sandinista flag. It appeared that similar takeovers were carried out in other municipalities.
Gadea Tinoco stated in Pantasma that Carmen Obando, a Sandinista councilwoman, was his replacement. Citizens for Freedom had been deemed no longer recognized by Nicaraguan electoral authorities.
Monterrey was also deported from Nicaragua and charged with illegal entry. She fled to Costa Rica and found refuge.
Out of Nicaragua’s 153 municipalities Ortega’s Sandinista Front currently controls 140. The other 13 are controlled by two allied parties.
Open Ballot Boxes is an opposition group and citizen election monitoring network. They denounce “the absence of democratic circumstances.” They demand that the well-being of municipal workers be respected.
Moreno stated that “they don’t want anyone participating in these elections.”
Monterrey stated that the takeovers were “a serious attack on popular will and municipal autonomy.”
She stated that the regime was confirming its inability to restore the electoral path and even try to preserve an appearance of legality for the next municipal elections by taking these actions.
