Submitted by fyl on 27 November, 2008
I was trying to word a poll about the elections and just too many variables/options came up. So, I have elected to create a forum about them. I feel they need to be put in perspective. I am going to divide up this post into various facets of what has happened.
First, let me say it is very hard to order this post because there are so many interactions. But, as many of you only have press coverage to rely on, I decided to start with that piece of the picture.I see two issues with that coverage. The first is the tendency for press and most specifically TV news to want to have “exciting footage”. A fire, for example, is always better TV footage than a one-on-one interview. Thus, such things as violence tends to get over-covered. In the recent election this bias clearly wasn’t limited to TV news. I believe it was Time magazine that titled an article something like Why Managua is Burning. That was a significant distortion from what NL members who were in Managua had to say.
The other issue is who is talking to the international press. Let me cite two examples, One example is that the MRS has used its good contacts in Europe to get a lot of anti-Ortega articles published. The result was what appeared to be insightful reporting that was actually little more than a presentation of the MRS position. Another is a recent Wall Street Journal editorial by Mary O’Grady. It was on the level of someone who knew nothing of Nicaragua inserting “Communist dictator” or some such expression after each use of Daniel Ortega’s name. I have no idea who or what inspired that article.
Yes, it existed but on what scale? And inspired by what? Here is Estelí, an FSLN victory always means a big celebration. Like it or not, a lot of people are very passionate and excited about such things. Someone recently said “there was no violence if the PLC didn’t show up.” Well, I am guessing that Republicans in the U.S. showing up at a Democratic celebration would be just as likely to encourage a violent confrontation.Not far from Estelí is San Nicolas (the municipality where CoolTop is located). A week before the election we had the current PLC alcalde and the FSLN candidate for Alcalde together at a party. They were friendly and talking to each other. A week later, the FSLN candidate lost (by about 150 votes). So, no FSLN party but no problems either.
I know of no reported violence that was a result of the government encouraging it. Quite the opposite, I do know of tactics used by others to try to create confrontations. Even in one of Johannes Wilm’s videos, while he is interviewing the PLC candidate for Alcalde of Leon (who is saying they won even though they didn’t and how there were “pacific” people), you could see his supporters throwing rocks at Sandinistas.
There was a lot of discussion of the FSLN “packing” the Supreme Electoral Council. The reality is that there are three FSLN members, three PLC members and one “other”. After the election the PLC and others were calling for recounts and for a new election,. “Irregularities” and “lack of international observers” were cited as the reasons. Well, there were international observers and, in addition, there were fiscales (representatives) from the various parties at the polling places. There just didn’t happen to be the whole array of international observers that, in particular, the U.S. likes.There was discussion of the Legislature calling for a new election and, I believe, President Ortega said something to the effect that the Legislature couldn’t do that. The statement was made out in the press to be Ortega “exercising dictatorial power”. I questioned this because, in the U.S., it would make sense for Congress to address this.
Well, since then I have listened to Dr. Roberto Rivas Reyes, head of the Supreme Electoral Council, address this issue. In Nicaragua, the same as in Costa Rica, the Supreme Electoral Council is the fourth body of government. It is there to make election decisions be independent of those running for office. It makes total sense. (Al Gore probably would have liked such a body in the U.S. in 2000.) So, while some may say “ok, let’s be fair and have another election”, the reality is that the rules of the Nicaraguan democracy say that this independent body gets to decide.
Now, the poll I was thinking about would have only asked if the elections were fair, close enough, a sham, … . Unfortunately, much like a 15 second blurb on the news, it just seems there is so much more to say than can be expressed with a “pick one” approach.
Interesting links:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122748875503551983.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122712667614741741.html
http://www.impre.com/laopinion/opinion/2008/11/28/ortega-en-nicaragua-95396-1.html
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/opinion/Nicaragua (Spansih language)
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/opinion/33617 (Spansih language)