Many laws, controls and police operations since the protest have largely extinguished public dissent, although online condemnation from the government persists. Establishing a level playing field for the November elections will require an urgent modification of recent unilateral electoral reforms and an agreement on terms acceptable to all parties.
Without this, opponents and foreign powers are likely to label the elections rigged, which could lead to further unrest and repression.
While government intransigence, as well as competing priorities, have led several countries to reduce diplomatic engagement in Nicaragua, the United States, the European Union, and Latin American states should push for a fairer election and support an agreement on political coexistence, while sanctions are repressed, which are unlikely to influence Ortega.
