A
general election was held in
NicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
on 4 November 1984, to elect a president and parliament. Approximately 1.2 million Nicaraguans voted, representing a 75% turnout, with 94% of eligible voters registered. The elections were generally held to be free and fair. A Latin American Studies Association (LASA) delegation observed the elections and concluded that the elections were remarkably fair, and that "Generally speaking, in this campaign the FSLN [the
Sandinista National Liberation FrontThe Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
] did little more to take advantage of its incumbency than incumbent parties everywhere (including the United States) routinely do, and considerably less than ruling parties in other Latin American countries traditionally do (The Electoral Process in Nicaragua, LASA, Nov. 19, 1984). Nevertheless, political scientists who study democratization do not consider this election to have resulted in any meaningful political liberalization in the country. Only the general election of 1990 marked Nicaragua’s transition to democracy.
The election date, 4 November was selected so that Nicaragua would have a legitimate, elected government in place before the anticipated reelection of
Ronald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 6 November. "The Sandinistas hoped that a competitive election with heavy turnout would deter a U.S. military intervention and reassure the FSLN’s defenders. So the Sandinistas’ decision to hold elections in 1984 was largely of foreign inspiration”.
Between 1982 and 1984 the FSLN negotiated with the opposition on the proposed Political Parties Law and Electoral Law, and ultimately these were modified "in response to several of the opposition's most significant demands." Similarly, multiple extensions of the deadline for candidate registration were granted whilst talks with the Coordinadora continued.
Coordinadora Democrática participation
"Probably a key factor in preventing the 1984 elections from establishing liberal democratic rule was the United States' policy toward Nicaragua." The Reagan administration was divided over whether the rightwing coalition
Coordinadora Democrática NicaragüenseThe Coordinadora Democrática Nicaragüense was a coalition of three right-wing Nicaraguan parties which boycotted the Nicaraguan general election, 1984. The parties were the Social Christians, the Social Democrats, and the Constitutional Liberal Party....
participate in the elections or not, which "only complicated the efforts of the Coordinadora to develop a coherent electoral strategy." Ultimately the US administration public and private support for non-participation allowed those members of the Coordinadora who favoured a boycott to gain the upper hand.
“A coalition of right-wing parties including the
Social ChristiansThe Popular Social Christian Party , a 1978 off-shoot of the Social Christian Party is a Nicaraguan political party. The PPSC got 6 seats in the 1984 Legislative elections and 3 seats seats in the 1990 elections. In 1992 the PPSC and the Democratic Party of National Confidence formed the...
, the misleadingly named right-wing
Social DemocratsThe Social Democratic Party is a right-wing Nicaraguan political party that split from Conservatives in 1979. The party sought affiliation to the Socialist International, but its application was rejected....
, and the Constitutional Liberal Party, calling itself the ‘Democratic Coordinating Committee’ (Coordinadora), decided to abstain from the elections on the grounds that the opposition parties had been given insufficient ‘guarantees,’ and not enough time to prepare for the elections. The Coordinadora’s abstentionism was publicly supported by the US government, which hoped to challenge the legitimacy of the November elections by alleging that opposition sectors were not able to participate. But despite US intervention and the Coordinadora abstention seven political parties took part in the November elections. The three right-wing parties which put forward candidates were the PCDN, PLI, and PPSC. The three opposing left-wing parties were the PSN, PC de N and MAPML.”
Aftermath
The Reagan administration denounced the 1984 vote as a ‘Soviet-style sham’ despite contrary opinions from external observers and the international press, escalated its diplomatic and propaganda campaign against the Sandinista government, and increased military aid to the
ContrasThe contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
. “This undercut the new regime’s legitimacy abroad and frustrated its hopes that the 1984 vote might smooth the way at home.” May 1985 saw a trade embargo imposed, followed by $27m of "non-lethal" aid to the Contras, supplemented by $37m of secret "lethal" aid. This led to the October 1985 reimposition of a State of Emergency in Nicaragua.
Presidential election results
| Candidate |
Party/Alliance |
Votes |
% |
José Daniel Ortega SaavedaJosé Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
|
Sandinista National Liberation FrontThe Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
(FSLN) |
735,967 |
66.97% |
| Clemente Guido Chavez |
Democratic Conservative Party of Nicaragua The Democratic Conservative Party is a Nicaraguan political party with a traditional conservative ideology. The party was formed in 1979...
(PCDN) |
154,327 |
14.04% |
| Virgilio Godoy Reyes |
Independent Liberal Party The Independent Liberal Party is a Nicaraguan centre-right political party separated from Somoza's Nationalist Liberal Party in 1944, and formed in 1947. PLI participated in 1984 election, winning 9.6% of vote for President with its candidate Virgilio Godoy...
(PLI) |
105,560 |
09.60% |
| Mauricio Díaz Dávila |
Popular Social Christian Party The Popular Social Christian Party , a 1978 off-shoot of the Social Christian Party is a Nicaraguan political party. The PPSC got 6 seats in the 1984 Legislative elections and 3 seats seats in the 1990 elections. In 1992 the PPSC and the Democratic Party of National Confidence formed the...
(PPSC) |
61,199 |
05.56% |
| Allan Zambrana Salmerón |
Communist Party of Nicaragua Communist Party of Nicaragua is a communist political party in Nicaragua. Founded as the Partido Obrero Socialista in 1967...
(PC de N) |
16,034 |
01.45% |
| Domingo Sánchez Salgado |
Nicaraguan Socialist PartyThe Nicaraguan Socialist Party is a political party in Nicaragua. Founded in July 1944 by Dr. Mario Flores Ortiz. PSN operated as the official communist party in the country. At the time of its foundation, PSN supported the regime of Anastasio Somoza García. PSN considered that Somoza was an...
(PSN) |
14,494 |
01.31% |
| Isidro Téllez Toruño |
Marxist-Leninist Popular Action Movement (MAP ML) |
11,352 |
01.03% |
| Total valid votes |
1,098,933 |
100% |
| Spoilt and invalid votes |
71,209 |
06.09% |
| Total votes/Turnout |
1,170,142 |
75.42% |
| Registered voters |
1,551,597 |
– |
| Population |
3,165,000 |
– |
Legislative election
| Parties and alliances |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
Sandinista National Liberation FrontThe Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
(FSLN) |
729,159 |
66.78% |
61 |
| Democratic Conservative Party of Nicaragua The Democratic Conservative Party is a Nicaraguan political party with a traditional conservative ideology. The party was formed in 1979...
(PCDN) |
152,883 |
14.00% |
14 |
| Independent Liberal Party The Independent Liberal Party is a Nicaraguan centre-right political party separated from Somoza's Nationalist Liberal Party in 1944, and formed in 1947. PLI participated in 1984 election, winning 9.6% of vote for President with its candidate Virgilio Godoy...
(PLI) |
105,497 |
09.66% |
09 |
| Popular Social Christian Party The Popular Social Christian Party , a 1978 off-shoot of the Social Christian Party is a Nicaraguan political party. The PPSC got 6 seats in the 1984 Legislative elections and 3 seats seats in the 1990 elections. In 1992 the PPSC and the Democratic Party of National Confidence formed the...
(PPSC) |
61,525 |
05.63% |
06 |
| Communist Party of Nicaragua Communist Party of Nicaragua is a communist political party in Nicaragua. Founded as the Partido Obrero Socialista in 1967...
(PC de N) |
16,165 |
01.48% |
02 |
Nicaraguan Socialist PartyThe Nicaraguan Socialist Party is a political party in Nicaragua. Founded in July 1944 by Dr. Mario Flores Ortiz. PSN operated as the official communist party in the country. At the time of its foundation, PSN supported the regime of Anastasio Somoza García. PSN considered that Somoza was an...
(PSN) |
15,306 |
01.40% |
02 |
| Marxist-Leninist Popular Action Movement (MAP ML) |
11,343 |
01.03% |
02 |
| Total valid votes |
1,091,878 |
100% |
96 |
| Spoilt and invalid votes |
78,224 |
06.69% |
– |
| Total votes/Turnout |
1,170,142 |
75.41% |
– |
| Registered voters |
1,551,597 |
– |
– |
| Population |
3,165,000 |
– |
– |