Nicaragua is holding general elections after a months-long campaign mired by controversy, including a widely denounced wave of arrests of opposition leaderrs and presidential hopefuls.
President Daniel Ortega, running virtually unopposed, has overseen what rights groups and international observers have said is a government campaign to stifle dissent.
These groups said the current conditions in the Central American nation were not conducive to free and fair elections. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ortega's administration is holding "a sham election devoid of credibility" that is aimed at establishing "an authoritarian dynasty unaccountable to the Nicaraguan people."
Ortega has defended his government's actions, saying the opposition figures were not candidates but rather "criminals" and "terrorists" who pose a danger to the country. He said their arrests were carried out in accordance with the law.
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