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