MANAGUA: Nicaragua’s electoral council on Friday disqualified the country’s main opposition party from upcoming presidential polls, in the latest move in an escalating political crackdown in the Central American country.
The Citizens for Liberty heads up the Citizens Alliance for Liberty (CXL) bloc, which is spearheading opposition to the reelection of President Daniel Ortega in November 7 polls.
But the Central American country’s Supreme Electoral Council blocked the CXL’s participation by ordering the “cancellation of the legal status of the Citizens for Liberty party,” according to a court ruling read before official media by the body’s secretary, Luis Luna.
The move is another step in a recent harsh political crackdown ahead of the vote, with critics accusing Ortega’s government of trying to prevent any meaningful opposition from standing in the November election.
Ortega, in power since 2007, is standing for a fourth consecutive term with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, once again as his running mate.
The ruling came after the right-wing Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) — which is the largest opposition party in parliament and has indicated it would be willing to collaborate with the government — alleged the CXL was breaking the law.
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