Nicaragua, following a presidential election called fraudulent by the U.S., is now widely seen to have become Latin America’s third dictatorship and part of a broader trend of democratic backsliding across the region, say U.S. officials and political analysts.
President Daniel Ortega coasted to a fourth consecutive term in Sunday’s vote by winning about 75% of the ballots cast, according to Nicaragua’s election authority. The election took place after Mr. Ortega’s regime jailed seven leading presidential candidates, allowing only a handful of relatively unknown candidates to oppose him.
