Since there was an abundance of establishment sources condemning the Nov. 7 elections in Nicaragua, I felt compelled to show the conclusions of sources that never get consistent media attention.
Counterpunchreported that independent polls predicted a landslide victory for Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega before the election. A major reason is what Nicaragua accomplished under Sandinista rule. Writing (Pg 2) in Counterpunch, Roger Harris asserts the following: "Unlike Guatemalans, Hondurans and El Salvadorians in these U.S. client states, Nicaraguans are not fleeing to the U.S. in search of a better life. Poverty and extreme poverty have been halved in Nicaragua, and the UN Millennium Development Goal of cutting malnutrition has been achieved. Basic healthcare and education are free, and illiteracy has been virtually eliminated. These are not hallmarks of a dictatorship."
U.S.-sponsored groups have fueled violent protests, some in an attempt to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. Harris quoted (Pg 2) solidarity activist Jorge Capelan: "those who kidnapped, tortured, robbed, murdered and rape citizens here in Nicaragua [in an attempted coup] in April 2018 were the coup promoters. They themselves recorded everything with their cell phones. They even set fire to murdered Sandinista comrades in the street." U.S. organizations sponsoring these groups have been USAID, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the CIA. (USAID and the NED have traditionally been CIA fronts.)
What about Sandinista persecution? Harris (Pg 3): "The recent actions of the Nicaraguan government prosecuting people who break their laws is a normal function of governance. That some of the accused perpetrators may have political aspirations does not immunize those individuals from arrest for unlawful activities." In other words, Nicaraguans have taken measures to stop the U.S. empire from interfering in their elections, especially with U.S.-funding of opposition groups who are resorting to violence, and who are subservient to U.S. imperial interests. In another report published by Counterpunch, Harris also emphasized (Pg 1) how those among the opposition have been using violence and are facing the consequences. Understandably, those individuals were arrested. None were associated with political parties, but U.S. sources gave the impression that some were candidates; the term used was "pre-candidates," in which Harris called "a made-up electoral category."
And Harris got some views (Pg 1) from Nicaraguans. "In contrast to the US political class's gnashing of teeth over the arrests, there were no demonstrations in support of those arrested here in Nicaragua. The response of the head of a rural cooperative was typical. She felt safer that they are locked up so that they won't repeat the violence of 2018."
Additionally (Pg 2), "Clarisa Cardenez, a voter, commented to us election accompaniers: 'I am very happy because this is a civic festival for Nicaraguans.' Like so many other Nicaraguans who spoke with us today, she expressed her appreciation for us accompanying their election to see 'our peace and calm.'"
Further, Harris talked (Pg 2) with two Nicaraguans named Yacer Hermiday and Clender Lopez outside one of the polling stations. They did have accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter but were shut down due to expressing pro-Sandinista views. There were "over 1,000 such pro-Sandinista social media accounts that had gotten shut down in the run-up to the election." Asked if they were paid to post positive views about the Nicaraguan government or if they were associated with it, both laughed. "Shaking their heads, 'no,' they explained that a small group of friends were just trying to show 'what is going on in Nicaragua and how our government is doing so much for our people. We were shut down for telling the truth.'"
Blogger Caitlin Johnstone was direct (Pg 3) in pointing out the hypocrisy of outrage from the U.S. and its allies. "This mass media trolling about Nicaragua's elections would not be so outrageously absurd were the elections of the U.S. and its allies anywhere remotely close to free from fraud and manipulation." Johnstone countered the accusations of repression in Nicaragua by citing (Pg 2, 3) observers "reporting on the scene" like Wyatt Reed, Ben Norton, Margaret Kimberly, Ahmed Kaballo, Caleb Maupin and others that refuted them. For example, Ben Norton criticized the New York Times. "Absurd fake news from US gov't mouthpiece NY Times: Unlike this propagandist [Natalie Kitroeff, who co-wrote a Times' piece on the elections] I'm actually in Nicaragua reporting on the elections. I went to 4 different voting stations. They were all full, with a totally calm, transparent process. There are 7 options on the ballot, 6 opposition."
Johnstone asserted (Pg 4) that "All US elections for positions of real power are fraudulent. None of them permit real opposition. It's a one-party system controlled by plutocratic and military institutions fraudulently disguised as democracy..." Her point about military institutions may not be accurate (?), but her point about a one-party system is worth mentioning. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are ideologically like two tendencies of one party. They are both parties of capital (although the Democrats have some Left/Progressives but they are not as powerful as corporate Dems). And they are essentially beholden to corporate interests. Republicans are especially known for voter suppression, using various methods like gerrymandering, cross check, strict voter IDs, intimidation, etc.
The bottom-line goal for both the Democrats and the Republicans is the maintaining and expansion of capital, and usually dominating labor. (Although the Democrats have proposed labor-friendly standards, they have fallen short on some of their promises.)
Johnstone's conclusion (Pg 5)? "Until you live in a nation with real political opposition and real elections, maybe shut the fuck up about places like Nicaragua."
These sources, not connected to the establishment, shed a different light on the Nicaraguan elections. Apparently, there is more to this than what the establishment is saying.