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Presidential candidate of Nicaragua, Miguel Mora
MANAGUA, June 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The pre-candidate for the presidency of Nicaragua, Miguel Mora, was arrested on Sunday in an investigation for crimes against sovereignty, the fifth candidate for the position of head of state in the November elections to experience the situation, police announced.
The candidate, who is also a journalist, was detained at his residence for “inciting foreign interference in internal affairs and asking for military intervention”, based on a law that the government of President Daniel Ortega applies to opponents, the security force said.
Mora was a pre-candidate for the presidency by the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD, Evangelical), from which the electoral court removed the character of a legal person in May, which leaves the formation out of the November 7 elections.
With Mora, 17 opponents were detained five months before the general elections, including five pre-candidates for the presidency, in which it is not ruled out that Ortega, 75 years old – the last 14 consecutively in power -, will run for the fourth successive term.
Police action against opponents began on June 2 with the arrest of presidential hopeful Cristiana Chamorro, 67, daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who according to polls was the most popular rival for the dispute with Ortega in the elections of November.
Chamorro is accused of money laundering through a foundation that bears her mother’s name.
Also arrested were former diplomat Arturo Cruz, political scientist Félix Maradiaga and economist Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Cristiana’s cousin.
Mora was the director of the 100% Notícias channel, which was closed and currently only exists in digital format.
This is the second operation against Mora, the first being on Dec 21, 2018 when he was arrested on charges of inciting hatred to promote terrorist acts during protests against the Government.
He was released six months later under an amnesty law.
The government considers that the 2018 protests, which ended with 328 dead and thousands of exiles, according to humanitarian agencies, were an attempt at a coup d’état to remove Ortega from power. — NNN-AGENCIES
