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Observing Ballots
Jimmy Carter, James Baker, and Oscar Arias examine presidential ballots during the Oct. 20 election in Nicaragua. The ballot included 24 candidates for president. (Photo Credit: The Carter Center/Mario Tapia)

Voters
On election day, voters lined up early--many before dawn--and waited patiently to cast their ballots at 9,000 polling stations across Nicaragua. (Photo credit: The Carter Center/Mario Tapia.)
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Democracy Prevails in Nicaragua's 1996 Presidential Election
2 Dec 1997


It took a month and a mountain of recounted ballots before Nicaraguans had a new president. Although the election was held on Oct. 20, Liberal Alliance candidate Arnoldo Aleman wasn't declared the victor until late November, marking the end to one of the most complex elections ever monitored and mediated by The Carter Center's Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government.

Leading the Council delegation were former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Costa Rica President Oscar Arias, former Ecuador President Osvaldo Hurtado, and former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker. The Council includes 27 current and former leaders from the Western Hemisphere who promote democracy, conflict resolution, and economic cooperation throughout the region.

"Because of the complexity of the election, there was some administrative confusion, especially during the vote count process," President Carter said. "Nonetheless, our delegation was impressed by the high voter turnout and by the many local poll watchers and national and international observers who helped with the election"

After an early declaration of victory by Mr. Aleman with 10 percent of the ballots counted, the closest challenger, former Sandinista President Daniel Ortega, questioned the accuracy of the vote count. Shuttling between Nicaragua President Violeta Chamorro, Mr. Ortega, Mr. Aleman, and election authorities, President Carter mediated an agreement for a process to review alleged irregularities in the ballot tallies sent from individual precincts to the Supreme Electoral Council.

"Immediately after the election, the general consensus among international observers was that, although there were flaws, the election largely reflected the preferences of the Nicaraguan people," said Robert Pastor, director of the Center's Latin American and Caribbean Program (LACP). "The Sandinistas made no allegations of fraud, but they said they found some discrepancies between the results being published by the Supreme Electoral Council and the vote tally sheets that were signed at the polls."

The 47 Carter Center delegates observed voting and ballot counting in 15 regions of the country. An estimated 1,600 representatives of the international community, including those of the Organization of American States (OAS), European Union, and the U.S. government, were unanimous in their consensus within 24 hours of poll closings that the elections were open and honest.
 
Observers Extend Missions
But when questions were raised, The Carter Center and other observers extended their missions in Nicaragua until a ballot review was completed. Following an extensive but peaceful 19-day review and partial vote recount, 6 percent of the polling stations were annulled, an insufficient percentage to change the election results.

"The willingness of the political parties and election authorities to pursue their concerns through legal channels was a positive step for Nicaragua. It will be important for the newly elected legislature and election authorities to evaluate the electoral process and laws and make any necessary improvements before the next elections," said Jennifer McCoy, director of the Center's Nicaragua Election Monitoring Project.

The Carter Center has worked in Nicaragua before. The nation's political parties invited the Council to observe the February 1990 presidential election, which saw the first peaceful transfer of power in Nicaragua's history. In 1994, President Chamorro sought the Center's help to deal with thousands of land disputes arising from the appropriation of land by the former Sandinista government. The next year, the Center co-sponsored with the United Nations Development Program a conference to streamline the dispute process in hope of stimulating economic development.

"The October 1996 election is another important milestone on Nicaragua's path to democracy," Dr. Pastor said. "Once again, ballots prevailed over bullets."
 
Nicaraguan Election Provides Lesson in Patience and Persistence
Nicaraguans know the meaning of patience. On election day, about 80 percent of the nation's 2.4 million eligible voters lined up before dawn to mark six ballots: one for president and vice president and one each for national congressmen, departmental legislators, the Central American Parliament, mayors, and city councils.

This election year, Nicaraguans also had choices. Some 32,000 candidates representing 24 parties and alliances vied for 2,000 posts.

Carter Center delegate George Smith visited 14 polling stations, some more than once, in the south Atlantic coast region.

"We were struck by the remoteness of the area," Mr. Smith said. "A member of the Electoral Commission in Juigalpa told us that some roads had been rained out and ballots had to be carried on foot for three hours to some polling stations."

Mr. Smith observed that the voting proceeded with few irregularities. In some regions, however, the complexity of the election caused logistical problems. For example, some polling stations opened late because of tardy ballot deliveries and inaccurate voter registration lists. Through it all, voters persisted, including 72-year-old Jose Angel, who waited several hours to participate in his first election.

"It is my duty to vote," Mr. Angel said. "I know in my heart who I want to be president, and they said I could choose him. So I did."

By the end of the day, presidential candidate Arnoldo Aleman led by an 11 percent margin. "Back in Managua, we were pleased to hear that about 95 percent of the polling stations reported no serious problems," Mr. Smith said. "The Carter Center's efforts in bringing the world's attention to Nicaragua and establishing a framework for international observation of this difficult process have helped give the people of this rural country a chance to choose their leaders. From our observations, they responded enthusiastically."