November 7, 2011 3:19PM # Secretary General of the OAS Praises Nicaragua’s Election By [Juan Carlos Hidalgo](https://www.cato.org/people/juan-carlos-hidalgo) --- SHARE Yesterday’s presidential election in Nicaragua that resulted in the reelection of Daniel Ortega [was marred by widespread accounts of fraud and voter intimidation](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/former-general-wins-in-guatemala-ortega-victor-in-nicaragua/2011/11/07/gIQA7PfdvM_story.html?tid=sm_btn_twitter). Observers from the European Union called the process “less than transparent.” And election monitors from the Organization of American States (OAS) say they were prevented from visiting polling stations. Not to mention that Ortega’s candidacy was blatantly illegal: Nicaragua’s Constitution prevents a president from running for a consecutive term. [By manipulating the country’s Supreme Court and Electoral Council](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203687504577003754153198434.html), Ortega ran and won anyway. However, according to José Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the OAS, “[In Nicaragua democracy and peace moved forward](http://www.nacion.com/2011-11-07/Mundo/En-Nicaragua--avanzo-la-democracia-y-la-paz---segun-secretario-general-de-OEA.aspx).” \[in Spanish\] Insulza has [a record of keeping silent](https://www.cato.org/political-prisoners-in-venezuela-where-is-the-organization-of-american-states/) or tacitly supporting the region’s autocratic regimes as they violate democratic institutions and human rights. Do we need further proof that José Miguel Insulza is a pawn of Hugo Chávez and his authoritarian allies in Latin America? [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).