Election Rigging is Just Business as Usual For This Regime

“Even before any vote was cast in the _________ elections, the fraudulent results were already determined because ______, his wife, and their corrupt regime used every dirty trick available to preserve their dynasty at the expense of the _______ people. Before polls were even open, the _______ regime had gamed the system and used its power and control over the electoral council, the judiciary, and every other institution to guarantee that they would remain in power at all costs.

Depending on who you ask, the blanks in this statement could be filled with one particularly prominent American family name that is currently seeking to preserve their political legacy in election cycle.

Fortunately for Americans, but not so for the people of Nicaragua, this statement was written by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) about the re-election of Nicaragua’s socialist President Daniel Ortega and this wife.

Unlike the case here in the U.S., where Republicans believe that a Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton are the real Democratic presidential ticket, Daniel Ortega’s wife was his actual running mate in his election.

Ortega is known for tapping his family members for key government posts. While this is called grow nepotism here in the U.S., in Nicaragua its called business as usual for familia Ortega.

"Ortega gets his way and he doesn't care if he violates the rights of others.”-Maximino Rodriguez, candidate of the centre-right Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC) -Al Jazeera

It goes without saying that Ros-Lehtinen believes that the election in Nicaragua was “rigged” in Ortega’s favor.

Here is Ros-Lehtinen’s entire statement on the Nicaraguan election:

“Even before any vote was cast in the Nicaragua elections, the fraudulent results were already determined because Ortega, his wife, and their corrupt regime used every dirty trick available to preserve their dynasty at the expense of the Nicaraguan people. Before polls were even open, the Ortega regime had gamed the system and used its power and control over the electoral council, the judiciary, and every other institution to guarantee that they would remain in power at all costs.

“The elections in Nicaragua were not free, fair, and transparent and had no credible international observers. The democratic space in the country has been closing as evidenced by the fact that opposition leaders had been stripped of their political parties and opposition national assembly members had been removed from office.

“The people of Nicaragua have continuously been protesting peacefully for their voices to be heard because they desire a fair and transparent election, not a charade that merely pretends to be democratic. The U.S. and responsible nations in our hemisphere must not legitimize this election. The NICA Act authored by Albio Sires and me is aimed at holding Ortega accountable for his abusive actions and helping to begin the process to restore democracy and the respect for human rights in Nicaragua.”