Nicaragua: Democracia electoral sin consenso social

Abstract

The political life of Nicaragua in 2011 revolved around the November elections and, more specifically, around the future of the "Christian and socialist project of social solidarity" promoted and defended by the FSLN, led by Daniel Ortega. The FSLN won a landslide re-election amid accusations of electoral fraud. In fact, the FSLN manipulated the law, the institutions of the country and the electoral process to ensure its powerful victory. An explanation of the Sandinista victory, however, has to take into consideration the opposition parties' inability to articulate a discourse and a vision of society congruent with the needs and aspirations of the Nicaraguan poor. The FSLN, on the other hand, was able to capture the imagination of this sector of Nicaraguan society.