Nicaraguan government sets date for presidential election

Updated: Jul 15, 2020 / 10:38 AM EDT

FILE – In this May 11, 2020 file photo, a medical worker wears a mask and face shield at the entrance of the SERMESA hospital in Managua, Nicaragua. While the Pan-American Health Organization urges Nicaragua to take more aggressive measures against the coronavirus pandemic and neighboring countries warily eye its outbreak, President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government seems more focused on hiding the virus than treating it. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File)

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (News Nation/AP) — The Nicaraguan government has finally announced a date for the next presidential elections on Nov. 7 2021.

The country’s Supreme Electoral Council said in a resolution published Tuesday that political parties would have extra time to register for the elections, due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Parties will have until June 7, 2021–five months before the vote–to complete the legal registration process.

Critics said the resolution was invalid, because such changes in voting rules should be approved by the national legislature.