At least five people died and 11 were wounded in acts of violence during and after weekend municipal elections in Nicaragua that saw President Daniel Ortega’s party the victor, various party leaders and local media said Monday. Two people were killed in the remote community of Sandy Bay Sirpi, on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. Both were members of the indigenous Yatama party, the group’s leader, George Henriquez, told AFP. A member of the right-leaning Liberal Constitutionalist Party was killed with a shot to the head as he served as a polling officer in the northern town of Wiwili, a spokesman for the party, Jorge Irias, told the media. The other two killed were members of the Citizens for Liberty Party, in the northern town of Yali, party leaders said.
Panorama Electoral, an electoral observers group operating without official authorization, said it had recorded four of the deaths. It also said 11 people were wounded by gunshot in various areas, and that a pregnant woman went missing in the town of San Miguelito.
The head of the Supreme Electoral Council, Roberto Rivas, spoke of “a somewhat difficult situation in Yali” but did not mention any fatalities. He called on communities to “stay calm” and for police to investigate.
Nicaragua’s police made no immediate public statement on the reported violence.
Full Article: Five reported killed after Nicaragua local elections.