United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed on Monday Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo over what he described as "repression and electoral manipulation" by "dissolving all genuine opposition parties and imprisoning all the principal presidential candidates."
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged recognizing the results of the latest polling in the Latin American country as there were observers at the spot that said that "the elections were well-organized and were held in strict compliance with Nicaraguan laws." "The White House declared its refusal to recognize the election. [...] We consider it inadmissible and strongly condemn such a policy," he said at a press conference.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden stated Washington will not acknowledge the results of the Nicaraguan general election, which took place on November 7, describing them as a "sham." He accused Ortega, Murillo, and their party Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), who declared victory in both the presidential and parliamentary polling, of "rul[ing] Nicaragua as autocrats."
