Elections in Nicaragua

Nicaragua
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Nicaragua

Elections in Nicaragua gives information on elections and election results in Nicaragua.

The Republic of Nicaragua elects on national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The President of Nicaragua and his or her vice-president are elected on one ballot for a five-year term by the people.

The National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) has 92 members: 90 deputies elected for a five-year term by proportional representation, the outgoing president, and the runner-up in the last presidential election. Should the president be reelected (not originally planned for in the Nicaraguan constitution), the outgoing vice president takes the seat reserved for him instead.

Nicaragua has a multi-party system, which means that there are more than two dominant political parties, and in past years, no other parties were able to achieve any electoral success.

Schedule

Election

Position 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Type Presidential (November)
National Congress (November)
Gubernatorial (November)		None Presidential (November)
National Congress (November)
Gubernatorial (November)
President and
vice president		 President and vice president None President and vice president
National Congress All seats None All seats
Provinces, cities and municipalities All positions None All positions

Inauguration

Position 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Type Presidential (January)
National Congress (January)
Gubernatorial (January)		None Presidential (January)
National Congress (January)
Gubernatorial (January)
President and
vice president		 10 January None 10 January
National Congress 10 January None 10 January
Provinces, cities and municipalities 10 January None 10 January

Latest elections

2011 presidential election
  Summary of the 6 November 2011 Nicaraguan presidential election results
Candidates – Parties Votes %
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra – Sandinista National Liberation Front 1,569,287 62.46
Fabio Gadea Mantilla – Independent Liberal Party 778,889 31.00
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo – Constitutionalist Liberal Party 148,507 5.91
Édgar Enrique Quiñónez Tuckler – Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance 10,003 0.40
Róger Antonio Guevara Mena – Alliance for the Republic 5,898 0.23
Total votes 2,512,584 100.00
Source: CSE
2011 legislative election
 Summary of the 6 November 2011 Nicaraguan National Assembly election results
Parties Votes % Seats
Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional) 1,583,199 60.85 63*
Independent Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Independiente) 822,023 31.59 27*
Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Constitucionalista) 167,639 6.44 2
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (Alianza Liberal Nicaragüense ) 19,658 0.76 —
Alliance for the Republic (Alianza por la República) 9,317 0.36 —
Total votes 2,512,584 100.00 92
Source: CSE
* The runner-up in the presidential election (Fabio Gadea Mantilla of the PLI) and the outgoing president are special members of the National Assembly; as Ortega was reelected, the outgoing Vice President (Jaime Morales Carazo of the FSLN), who was not Ortega's running mate in this election (having been replaced by Omar Halleslevens, will take up his seat. (AFP)

Past elections

Presidential elections 1984-2011

1984

The 1984 election took place on November 4. Of the 1,551,597 citizens registered in July, 1,170,142 voted (75.41%). The null votes were 6% of the total. The national averages of valid votes for president were:

The pro-Sandinista magazine, Envio claimed that this election was considered to have the "most freedom of choice" in the nation's history and was approved by international advocates of free elections.

1990

The historical election of 1990 took place on February 25. The total registered voters were 1,752,088 and the abstentions 241,250 or 13.7%. The United Nicaraguan Opposition coalition of those who opposed the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front was victorious, winning 55% of the vote. Violeta Chamorro became president.The national averages of valid votes for president were:

1996

In presidential elections, Arnoldo Alemán of the Liberal Alliance-Liberal Constitutionalist Party defeated Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. A record number of 24 parties and alliances participated in these elections.

2001

 Summary of the 4 November 2001 Nicaragua presidential election results
Candidates - Parties Votes %
Enrique José Bolaños Geyer - Constitutionalist Liberal Party 1,228,412 56.31
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra - Sandinista National Liberation Front 922,436 42.28
Alberto Saborío Morales - Conservative Party of Nicaragua 30,670 1.41
Total (turnout 73.19%) 100.00
Source: Catálogo Estadístico de Elecciones en Nicaragua 1990-2011

2006

  Summary of the 5 November 2006 Nicaragua presidential election results
Candidates - Parties Votes %
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra - Sandinista National Liberation Front 854,316 38.07
Eduardo Montealegre - Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance 650,879 29.00
José Rizo Castellón - Constitutionalist Liberal Party 588,304 26.21
Edmundo Jarquín Calderón - Sandinista Renovation Movement 144,596 6.44
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez - Alternative for Change 6,120 0.27
Total 2,244,215 100.0
The source is Consejo Supremo Electoral

2011

  Summary of the 6 November 2011 Nicaraguan presidential election results
Candidates – Parties Votes %
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra – Sandinista National Liberation Front 1,569,287 62.46
Fabio Gadea Mantilla – Independent Liberal Party 778,889 31.00
José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo – Constitutionalist Liberal Party 148,507 5.91
Édgar Enrique Quiñónez Tuckler – Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance 10,003 0.40
Róger Antonio Guevara Mena – Alliance for the Republic 5,898 0.23
Total votes 2,512,584 100.00
Source: CSE

Parliamentary election results 1984-2011

1984

The 1984 parliamentary election was held together with the presidential election on November 4. The percentages for National Assembly representatives were very similar to those the parties had received for their presidential candidate. The electoral quotient needed to win one of the 90 National Assembly seats was obtained by dividing the number of valid votes in each region by the number of representatives that had been assigned to each region, proportional to its population.

Each party's "left over" votes—those insufficient to earn it a seat in a given region—were then added together and re-tallied nationally. The seats earned in this second count went to the next candidate on the party's slate in the regions where it had come closest to winning on the first round. In addition, any party getting at least 1% of the presidential vote (which all six losing parties did) was allowed a seat for its defeated presidential candidate. The final composition of the National Assembly was thus:

Source:

1990

The 1990 parliamentary election was held together with the presidential election on February 25. The final composition of the National Assembly in 1990 was:

Note: The 1990 Assembly members are joined by any presidential candidate who receives over 1% of the vote

Sources:

1996

The 1996 elections for the National Assembly took place together with the Presidential election on October 20. The final composition of the National Assembly in 1996 was:

Source:

2001

 Summary of the 4 November 2001 National Assembly of Nicaragua election results
Parties Votes % Seats
National Departmental Total
Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Constitucionalista) 1,216,863 52.6% 11 38 49
Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional) 915,417 42.6% 9 30 39
Conservative Party of Nicaragua (Partido Conservador de Nicaragua) 29,933 4.8% 0 3 4
Total valid votes(turnout 75%) 2,042,524 100.0 20 70 92
Invalid votes 82,172
Total votes 2,124,696
Source: Consejo Supremo Electoral, Rulers and Adam Carr

2006

 Summary of the 5 November 2006 Nicaragua National Assembly election results
Parties Votes % Seats
Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional) 840,851 37,59 38
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (Alianza Liberal Nicaragüense ) 597,709 26,72 23
Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Constitucionalista) 592,118 26.47 25
Sandinista Renovation Movement (Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista) 194,416 8.69 5
Alternative for Change (Alternativa por el Cambio) 12,053 0.54 -
Total (turnout %) 100.0 92
Source: Elecciones 2006 , 91.6 % counted (?). The seats are from IFES

2011

 Summary of the 6 November 2011 Nicaraguan National Assembly election results
Parties Votes % Seats
Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional) 1,583,199 60.85 63*
Independent Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Independiente) 822,023 31.59 27*
Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Constitucionalista) 167,639 6.44 2
Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (Alianza Liberal Nicaragüense ) 19,658 0.76 —
Alliance for the Republic (Alianza por la República) 9,317 0.36 —
Total votes 2,512,584 100.00 92
Source: CSE
* The runner-up in the presidential election (Fabio Gadea Mantilla of the PLI) and the outgoing president are special members of the National Assembly; as Ortega was reelected, the outgoing Vice President (Jaime Morales Carazo of the FSLN), who was not Ortega's running mate in this election (having been replaced by Omar Halleslevens, will take up his seat. (AFP)

Municipal election results 1990-2004

1990

The 1990 municipal election was held together with the presidential and the parliamentary elections on February 25. Municipal Councils were elected in 131 municipalities nationwide. The final results for the elections were:

Sources:

1996

A great expectation in the 1996 municipal elections was the participation for the first (and last) time of what the Electoral Law terms "popular subscription associations". According to the Electoral Law, to be formed, an association needed, among other things, to present to the Supreme Electoral Council a "written request signed by a minimum of 5% of the citizens on the electoral rolls corresponding to the respective electoral area". A total of 53 associations participated in the municipal elections. One of them (the Civic Association of Potosí) won the mayor's post.

Despite winning only one municipality, an important number of association candidates finished in second or third place. In the nation's capital, Managua, two independent candidates; Pedro Solórzano of the Viva Managua Movement association and Herty Lewites of the Sol (sun) association competed against the AL and FSLN official candidates. ALN's Roberto Cedeño got the 28% of the votes followed closely by Solórzano with 26%, Carlos Guadamúz from the FSLN with 25.7% and Herty Lewites who became Managua's mayor four years later came in fourth place with 12.3%.

The 1996 municipal election took place together with the Presidential election on October 20. Municipal Councils were elected in 145 municipalities nationwide. The final results for the elections were:

Source:

2000

In the 2000 municipal election 1,532,816 voters elected Municipal Councils in 151 municipalities nationwide. It was the first time that the Presidential and Municipal elections were held separately. The final results for the elections were:

The FSLN won for the first time in ten years the municipality of Managua, Nicaragua's capital city with its candidate Herty Lewites that pulled 44% of the votes.

Source:

2004

In the 2004 municipal election 1,664,243 voters elected Municipal Councils in 152 municipalities nationwide, with nearly a 56% abstention. The final results for the elections were:

Note: Elections took place for the first time in the newly created municipality of San José de Bocay in the Jinotega department.

The 2004 municipal elections represented a huge Sandinista victory. The FSLN-Convergence won 14 of the 17 departmental capitals, 87 of the 152 municipalities —including 5 of the 6 that make up Managua’s greater metropolitan area— and 25 of Nicaragua’s 42 largest cities. In total it will govern a little over 4 million inhabitants, nearly 71% of the national population.

The Sandinista victory was attributed to the success of the FSLN-Convergence alliance. Of the 87 mayors elected on the FSLN ticket, 17 come from these allies: 5 are independents, 3 are from the Resistance, 3 belong to the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), 2 are Conservatives, 2 are Liberals, 1 is from the Christian Unity Movement (MUC) and 1 is a Social Christian. Of the deputy mayors who ran with an FSLN mayoral candidate, 28 are Liberals, 16 are independent, 14 are from the MUC, 9 are Conservatives, 9 are from the MRS, 3 are from the Resistance and 1 is a Social Christian. These allied candidates allowed the FSLN to win 12 municipal governments for the first time.

Source:

Autonomous elections on the Caribbean Coast results 1990-2014

1990

The first autonomous elections on the Caribbean Coast took place in 1990 together with the presidential, parliamentary and municipal election on February 25. The voters elected the 45 Regional Council members in what was officially called the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) and the 45 in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS). The abstention was 21%, only 7% higher than the national average:

Note: National Assembly representatives also have a seat.

Sources:

1994

With an abstention of 34%, the inhabitants of the Atlantic Coast elected the 45 Regional Council members in what is officially called the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) and the 45 in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) on February 27:

Sources:

1998

With an abstention of 40%, the inhabitants of the Atlantic Coast elected the 45 Regional Council members in what is officially called the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) and the 45 in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) on March 1.:

Sources:

2002

With an overall abstention of 50-60%, inhabitants of the Atlantic Coast elected 90 Regional Council members on March 3:

Sources:

2006

The fifth autonomous elections on the Caribbean Coast took place on March 5. The abstention was a record-high 55%. The voters elected the 45 Regional Council members in what was officially called the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) and the 45 in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS):

Three other parties didn't pull enough votes to win a seat in the Regional Council; the regional Multiethnic Party for Coast Unity (PAMUC), the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) alliance, and Alliance for the Republic (APRE).

Source:

2010

The sixth autonomous elections on the Caribbean Coast took place on March 7. The abstention rate was 60%. The voters elected 45 Regional Council members in the RAAN and 45 in the RAAS:

Source:

2014

The seventh autonomous elections on the Caribbean Coast took place on March 2. The abstention rate was 59%. The voters elected 45 members to each Regional Council in the newly renamed North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCN) and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCS):

Source:

See also

External links

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