On Monday, Mexico said it would send a representative to Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega when he is sworn in for his fourth consecutive term. Mexico previously stated that no representative would attend the inauguration first, due to concerns over the validity of the election, and because of a conflict with a standing annual meeting of diplomats that would prohibit representatives from attending. The Nicaraguan election came after a period of swift and brutal crackdown on President Ortega’s opponents and media that was critical of him.

Mexican President Lopez Obrador said that Mexico would send a representative “because [Mexico] can’t set aside [its] policy of national self-determination and independence,” then stated that the previous Mexican presidential administration had been overly beholden to the interests of “another government” in the past. When the press asked President Lopez Obrador what he thought of the election and Ortega’s victory, he stated that “the decision is theirs… the Nicaraguans’.”

Immediately after the election, United States President Joe Biden stated that the Nicaraguan election “orchestrated today was a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic. The arbitrary imprisonment of nearly 40 opposition figures since May, including seven potential presidential candidates, and the blocking of political parties from participation rigged the outcome well before election day.” President Ortega maintains that the  election was legitimate, saying “these elections are, thank God, a sign, a commitment by the vast majority of Nicaraguans to vote for peace… we are burying war and giving life to peace.” 

President Ortega and his regime must be held accountable for their reliance on violence, censorship, and imprisonment. The international community needs to focus time, energy, and resources on helping the Nicaraguan people impacted by President Ortega’s unjust actions, especially because his immigration and travel policies have made it extremely difficult for Nicaraguans to flee the danger his regime poses. As the international community watches President Ortega’s action, we also need to remember that Nicaragua is not inherently unstable; the nation is still suffering from a history of colonialism dating back to 1502, when Spanish colonialism in Nicaragua all but destroyed the native population.

Even after Nicaragua gained independence, the U.S. staged interventions multiple times; between 1894 and 1990, they sent Marines four times and set up years-long occupations. Furthermore, the country and region at large was used as a proxy to air Cold War tensions, with the U.S. supporting the repressive Somoza dictatorship simply because they opposed communism. When the dictatorship was overthrown, the CIA organized, funded, and directed the Contras, who opposed the elected government. 

President Ortega first assumed power after being deemed a national hero for helping to overthrow the Somoza regime, an American-backed anti-communist dictatorship, by leading a popular revolution with Sandinista National Liberation Front in 1979. After removing the Somoza regime from power, Ortega and his party worked on land reforms, a successful literacy campaign, and other programs that aimed to effect social change. In 1984, he decisively won the first presidential election since the revolution; however, the 1980s were a period of economic turmoil and safety concerns (largely caused by the US-backed Contra rebels), and he lost his re-election bid in 1990.

In 2007, Daniel Ortega returned to power and began slowly but methodically consolidating power through forming alliances with institutions he formerly opposed (including the Catholic Church). International onlookers occasionally denounced his actions, but remained mostly silent until the brutal repression of popular protests in 2018 left 300 people, the majority of whom were young people, dead. This led to renewed international attention and caused people to begin drawing parallels between Ortega and the dictatorial regime he helped overthrow. 

President Ortega’s inauguration being attended by a Mexican representative demonstrates Mexico’s desire to stay on amicable terms with Nicaragua, which bodes well for peace between the nations, However, it has severe implications for the freedoms and safety of the Nicaraguan people, who cannot be completely safe until they are allowed to elect their own leaders in a fair and free election.