1984 Nicaraguan general election

General elections were held in Nicaragua 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. Impartial observers from international groupings such as the European Economic Community, religious groups sent to monitor the election, and observers from democratic nations such as Canada and Ireland concluded that the elections were generally free and fair.

1984 Nicaraguan general election

4 November 1984 (1984-11-04)
Presidential election
Turnout	75.42%
Candidate Daniel Ortega Clemente Guido Party FSLN PCD Running mate Sergio Ramírez Merceditas Rodriguez de Chamorro Popular vote 735,967 154,327 Percentage 66.97% 14.04%
Results by department
President before election Daniel Ortega FSLN Elected President Daniel Ortega FSLN
Parliamentary election
90 of 96 seats in the National Assembly 46 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/– FSLN Daniel Ortega 66.78 61 New PCD Clemente Guido 14.00 13 New PLI Virgilio Godoy 9.66 8 New PPSC Mauricio Díaz 5.63 5 New Communist Allan Zambrana 1.48 1 New PSN Domingo Sánchez 1.40 1 New MAP-ML Isidro Téllez 1.04 1 New This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Results by constituency President of the National Assembly after Carlos Núñez FSLN

The election date, 4 November was selected so that Nicaragua would have a legitimate, elected government in place before the anticipated reelection of U.S. president Ronald Reagan 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

It has been argued that "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 or not the rightwing coalition Coordinadora Democrática Nicaragüense should participate in the elections, 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 Christians, Social Democrats, 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 center-right/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 such as Baron Chitnis, the Latin American Studies Association, and the international press. It escalated its diplomatic and propaganda campaign against the Sandinista government and increased military aid to the Contras. "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.

Results

President

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Daniel Ortega	Sandinista National Liberation Front	735,967	66.97
	Clemente Guido Chavez	Democratic Conservative Party	154,327	14.04
	Virgilio Godoy Reyes	Independent Liberal Party	105,560	9.61
	Mauricio Díaz Dávila	Popular Social Christian Party	61,199	5.57
	Allan Zambrana Salmerón	Communist Party of Nicaragua	16,034	1.46
	Domingo Sánchez Salgado	Nicaraguan Socialist Party	14,494	1.32
	Isidro Téllez Toruño	Marxist–Leninist Popular Action Movement	11,352	1.03
Total			1,098,933	100.00
Valid votes			1,098,933	93.91
Invalid/blank votes			71,209	6.09
Total votes			1,170,142	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,551,597	75.42
Source: Nohlen

National Assembly

All parties except the FSLN were awarded an additional seat for the party's unsuccessful presidential candidate.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Sandinista National Liberation Front	729,159	66.78	61
	Democratic Conservative Party	152,883	14.00	14
	Independent Liberal Party	105,497	9.66	9
	Popular Social Christian Party	61,525	5.63	6
	Communist Party of Nicaragua	16,165	1.48	2
	Nicaraguan Socialist Party	15,306	1.40	2
	Marxist–Leninist Popular Action Movement	11,343	1.04	2
Total		1,091,878	100.00	96
Valid votes		1,091,878	93.31
Invalid/blank votes		78,224	6.69
Total votes		1,170,102	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,551,597	75.41
Source: Nohlen

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