As the world is set to watch the ongoing presidential campaign in the United Sates, Nicaragua is going through its own not less controversial pre-elections turmoil. Daniel Ortega is running for his second reelection. Since first coming to power the 'ex-guerilla turned politician’ has changed the Nicaraguan consitutional law, so that the president can be relected infinitely. In the current presidential campiagn, however, Ortega has made a particualrly bold move, nominating his wife, Rosario Murillo, to be the future vice-president of the country. 

Ortega is trying to bring feminist rhetoric to justify his wife’s nomination. He claims that under his presidency women, who fought shoulder to shoulder under the Sandinista revolution, have seen major improvements in terms of their political representation. The Nicaraguan leader boasts about an increase from two women ministerial positions to nine, between today and when he was elected the second time. In addition to that he claims that while in 2006 only 21.73% of legislators were female there are now 42.3% of women legislators. Many speculate, however, that while Ortega boasts about the numbers women’s rights in Nicaragua have deteriorated. This can be exemplified by the recent ban on abortion. Critics of Ortega also accuse him of nepotism. Eliseo Núñez, the former congressman for the opposition liberal party, says: ‘to me, it’s an insult – not just to all Nicaraguans, but also to the entire Sandinista movement – because it says that in Nicaragua there are no Sandinistas or Sandinista women who can aspire to this role; only the Ortega-Murillo family’. Nevertheless, the first Lady Rosario Murillo seems to have a significant support in Nicaragua. A poll from 22nd of July presents that the future vice-president is supported by around 82% of the voters, similar to that of her husband.

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