Three Evangelical Parties To Run in Municipal Elections

Trinidad Vásquez, MANAGUA, Nicaragua, May 27, 2004

 Three Evangelical parties announced they would be presenting candidates in Nicaragua’s municipal elections slated to Taxi Heathrow Airport take place next November.

These include: Camino Cristiano (PCC), up until recently linked with the Partido Liberal Constitucionalista (PLC), which former President Arnoldo Alemán leads from jail; El Movimiento de Unidad Cristiana (MUC), allied with the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) and Alternativa Cristiana (AC), which recently obtained legal status.

The presence of these three parties in the political scene demonstrates the growing importance of the Evangelical population, according to analysts. An investigation carried out by the In-Depth Evangelism Institute six years ago showed that 16 percent of the population was Evangelical.

Today, the Evangelical Pro Denominational Council of Churches (CEPAD), the Inter-Church Theological Studies Center (CIEETS), World Vision, the Waldesian Center, and other bodies estimate that around 28 percent of Nicaraguans are now Evangelicals.

PCC President and legislator Guillermo Osorno said they will only present candidates in municipal elections. Osorno also said he is repentant about the alliance with the PLC for 2001 elections because many of the leaders were arrogant.

Daniel Ortega Reyes, Pentecostal Pastor and president of MUC said that they now have 24 candidates for mayors and vice mayors to run in an equal number of municipalities. There are 152 municipalities nationwide.  He sees the Evangelical vote as being key in the election. 

Ortega Reyes added that by 2005 he expects the FSLN and the MUC to administer some 100 municipalities because the rich Nicaraguan class has been harmful for the nation and people see Evangelicals as a viable alternative.

Mariano Suárez, vice president of Alternativa Cristiana, confirmed that they will compete without alliances in the election. We do not want to be the tail of another party, he said. He said they expect to gain 200,000 votes or at least 10 percent of the electorate. He added that in the national election, their goal is to have eight seats in the National Assembly.

AC president, legislator Orlando Tardencilla, called on people to no longer be hostage to the conflicts between the FSLN and the PLC. He criticized other Evangelical parties, saying that they seek to manipulate the sincere faith of the Nicaraguans.  

For its part, the PLC announced that it will register its candidate for mayor and vice mayor on July 15, after they are ratified in a party convention on July 11.