At 2.30pm the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) President Roberto Rivas has said that over 70% of eligible voters have participated in the vote so far.
Violence has been reported by the right wing TV station Canal 2 in La Trinidad in the department of Estelí but details are unclear where PLI-MRS activisdts attacked the local CSE office and stole 250 identity documents (cédulas). Canal 2 also reported that a voting centre in the Ministry of Education was attacked. More detials on that report when they become available.
The Organization of American States (OAS) electoral accompaniment delegation has given its first press conference. Delegation leader Dante Caputo gave a mealy mouthed presentation which the factual basis of what he said contradcited the meaning he tried to convey. He said that of the 52 voting centres where the OAS delegation is present they were unable to accompany the opening of ten of them because the local centre officers refused to let them do so.
Otherwise Caputo confirmed what all the other foreign and national electoral accompaniment delegations have reported that the elections have proceeded normally and appropriately. In the 42 centres the OAS team was able to be present at the opening they were able to confirm that everything was in order. Caputo tried to suggest that the fact his team was barred from the opening of 10 voting centres might be interpreted as calling into question the procedure applied int hose 10 voting centres. In fact the most he can assert is that he and his team don't know one way or the other, which is very different.
Nor did he comment in his remarks on the disgraceful incident involving one of his team, the Argentinean Tomas Octavio who was accused by a local CSE official in San Carlos of using physical force against her in the course of an argument aggressively provoked by Octavio. That incident is extremely relevant to any interpretation of the attitude of the officials who barred the OAS team from their voting centres. There is little incentive to invite foreigners to accompany a complicated process if there is some chance they might provoke an altercation.
Caputo referrred to the agreement between the OAS and the Nicaraguan government on his electoral mission. Presumably there was no clause in the agreement facilitating the physical abuse of Nicaraguan election officials by Caputo's OAS goon.
The other thing Caputo remarked on was the large number of complaints he and his team have received from the various parties in taking part in the election campaign. He was prudent enough to refrain from expressing any opinion on the validity of the complaints.
By late afternoon there should be further news.
CSE president Roberto Rivas stated in an interview that he expect to give a preliminary reuylt at about 10.00pm Nicaraguan time.