SIT REP 9 - NICARAGUAN ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAGUA 002567 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM NU SUBJECT: SIT REP 9 - NICARAGUAN ELECTIONS REF: MANAGUA 02546 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador Paul Trivelli for reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) certified today the final elections results for the presidential election, officially declaring Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista Liberation Front (FSLN) president-elect with 37.99 percent of the vote and confirming Eduardo Montealegre of the Liberal Nicaraguan Alliance (ALN) in second place capturing 28.30 percent of the vote. In addition, Montealegre will hold a deputy seat in the National Assembly along with President Bolanos. Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC) candidate Jose Rizo placed third with 27.11 percent, Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) candidate Edmundo Jarquin remained in fourth, and Alternative for Change (AC) candidate Eden Pastor, fifth. The FSLN captured 38 seats in the National Assembly, while the PLC and ALN won 25 and 22 seats, respectively. Results closely mirror results of CSE's fifth report based on 91.48 percent of the voting tables (JRVs). END SUMMARY. THE FINAL COUNT, ALN HOLDS ONTO SECOND - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (SBU) At 11:00 AM on November 22, the CSE released its sixth and final report on the election results covering 100 percent of JRVs. With the exception of the PLC, all candidates received a slightly lower percentage of the overall vote. Final tallies for the presidential race are as follows: FSLN: 37.99 % ALN: 28.30 % PLC: 27.11 % MRS: 6.29 % AC: .29 % BUT DISTRIBUTION OF DEPUTIES GIVES PLC EDGE OVER ALN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (SBU) Final results for National Assembly deputies selected at the national and departmental level: National Deputies Department Deputies Total % FSLN: 8 30 38 42.22 ALN: 5 17 22 24.44 PLC: 6 19 25 27.77 MRS: 4 1 5 5.55 TOTAL 23 67 90 (plus 2) (NOTE: In accordance with Article 133 of Nicaragua's Constitution, two additional deputies will join the new National Assembly: Enrique Bolanos, as outgoing president, and Eduardo Montealegre, because he placed second in the presidential race. ¶4. (SBU) Final results for deputies to the Central American Parliament, or PARLACEN (number of seats): FSLN 8 ALN 5 PRC 6 MRS 1 PUTTING PLC CHALLENGES TO REST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (C) ALN candidate Montealegre, who recently told the Ambassador he expected the assignments of the deputy seats to remain the same even with the ALN's challenges, was nonetheless determined to convey his party's concerns regarding the irregularities in the tabulation process even if these irregularities did not affect the final distribution of Assembly deputy seats. And while the PLC sought to challenge a deputy seat in the North MANAGUA 00002567 002 OF 002 Atlantic Autonomous Zone (RAAN),in the end the party failed (according to the CSE) to follow proper legal steps at the departmental level before submitting its appeal, and its petition was rejected. TRIVELLI