U.S. expresses concern over Nicaragua's 'flawed' election

The United States is "deeply concerned" by the flawed electoral process in Nicaragua, a State Department spokesman said on Monday, a day after former Marxist guerrilla Daniel Ortega clinched a third consecutive term as president of the Central American country.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the flawed presidential and legislative electoral process in Nicaragua, which precluded the possibility of a free and fair election on (Sunday)," spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

He accused the Ortega government of sidelining opposition candidates and limiting local monitoring at polls, and for not inviting international election observers, which Toner said "further degraded the legitimacy of the election."

"We continue to press the Nicaraguan government to uphold democratic practices including press freedom and respect for universal human rights in Nicaragua," Toner added.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-says-deeply-concerned-flawed-nicaragua-election-181049900.html