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Nicaragua: De-democratization and Regime Crisis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

Salvador Martí i Puig Open the ORCID record for Salvador Martí i Puig [Opens in a new window]  and
Macià Serra Open the ORCID record for Macià Serra [Opens in a new window]
Salvador Martí i Puig*
Affiliation:
Salvador Martí i Puig is a professor of political science at the University of Girona.
Macià Serra*
Affiliation:
Macià Serra is a lecturer in political science at the University of Girona.
*
[email protected].
[email protected].
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Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze three key issues in current Nicaraguan politics and in the political debate surrounding hybrid regimes: de-democratization, political protest, and the fall of presidencies. First, it analyzes the process of de-democratization that has been taking place in Nicaragua since 2000. It shows that the 2008 elections were not competitive but characteristic of an electoral authoritarian regime. Second, it reflects on the kind of regime created in Nicaragua under Daniel Ortega’s mandate, focusing on the system’s inability to process any kind of protest and dissent. Third, it examines the extent to which the protests that broke out in April 2018 may predict the early end to Ortega’s presidency, or whether Nicaragua’s political crisis may lead to negotiations between the government and the opposition.

Keywords

NicaraguaDaniel Ortegade-democratizationfall of the presidencyprotestcrisis
Type
Country Notes
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 62 , Issue 2 , May 2020 , pp. 117 - 136
Copyright
© University of Miami 2020

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Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: Salvador Martí i Puig and Macià Serra i Serra declare none.

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