Municipal Elections of 2004
In October 2004, in what was widely considered a political decision, the Controller General's Office, which was controlled by supporters of former President Aleman and Ortega, released a long-awaited report accusing President Bolanos of fund raising violations during his 2001 electoral campaign. The case involved the alleged misuse of government funds and foreign government donations. The controllers charged that Bolanos refused to answer fully their questions posed during a 2-year investigation and recommended that he be fined and that the National Assembly remove him from office. Bolanos refuted the accusation and noted that of the 30 PLC leaders investigated in the case, only he had been charged with any crime. Both the Organization of American States (OAS) and foreign governments expressed concerns that the political charges against the president and the efforts to remove him from office amounted to a threat to the constitutional order.
In the 2004 municipal elections the FSLN won the majority of the country’s municipalities, including Managua. It could be argued that the CSE was at the service of the parties that now control it, given that the three municipalities where irregularities emerged were eventually given to the PLC and FSLN parties. It is important to emphasize that in this elections, as in all of the elections after 1990, both foreign and domestic observers certified that the electoral processes had been carried out in correct fashion. According to the OAS, there were no formal charges of fraud and few anomalies registered, including the claims over the mayoral offices of Granada in the 2004 municipal elections. As a result of the OAS’s position, a strong resentment against the organization was expressed.
Although the law provides that the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) is an independent fourth branch of government, the CSE was highly politicized, subject to political influence, and did not function properly. During 2004 nationwide municipal elections, which were marred by serious irregularities, there were credible allegations that the CSE invalidated results in key precincts to ensure that several close races were won by the PLC and FSLN. The CSE had previously attempted to deny legal status to parties other than the PLC and FSLN. Growing doubts about the impartiality of the CSE led to increasing rates of voter abstention in recent elections.
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