Nicaraguan Police Expect No Protests Ahead of Upcoming Election

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Police in Nicaragua do not expect to see protests or riots similar to the unrest in 2018, ahead of the upcoming presidential election on 7 November, Inspector General of the Nicaraguan National Police Jaime Antonio Vanegas Vega told Sputnik.

"We do not expect to see any demonstrations, marches or protests. The election campaign ended on Thursday with no incidents ... We are confidently monitoring everything necessary to avoid and prevent them from happening," Vega said.

The officer noted that the 2018 protests were distorted by international media and organizations and were presented as popular protests against the policies of the Sandinista government, a socialist political movement, headed by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

In April 2018, a series of anti-government protests began in the country which Ortega called a coup. In September 2018, Ortega accused the US of plotting a coup in his country and specifically claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency prepared and financed military groups in an attempt to overthrow him. He also did not rule out the possibility of US military intervention.

"What happened in Nicaragua is seen as an attempt of a coup led by the government of the United States, which used media and social media as a means to manipulate and confuse the population ... An act of aggression from the US in collaboration with others, with international organizations, which interfered or wanted to interfere in the life of our country," Vega added.

A new coup in Nicaragua is unlikely, because the key people who were involved in the 2018 terrorist attacks and financing of the riots are currently in prison, and the country is statistically the safest in central America.

Nicaragua's national police claim that in the three years since the last coup attempt, police forces did not see a single photograph or video recording of police officers hurting demonstrators. At the time of the coup, media reported that up to 300 people died, many from gunshot wounds. Such information was actively used in media and social networks to incite protest sentiments, Vega noted.

Distortion of information in relation to Nicaragua is used not only by the US, but also by other international organizations like the UN, Vega added.

The presidential election in Nicaragua is scheduled for this Sunday, with over ten political parties fielding their candidates. The ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front has confirmed longtime President Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, as their candidate and running mate, respectively.