Nicaraguan general election, 1974

A general elections were held in Nicaragua to elect a president and parliament on September 1, 1974.

The 1974 election was characterized by abstentionism. There were no incidents on election day; in fact very few people went to the polls, this in spite of the fact that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported voter registration of 1,152,268 citizens or 60.8% of the total Nicaraguan population, which is nearly 240,000 more than the number of citizens 18 years and older reported by the Census of 1971. The official results listed 733,662 votes for Somoza and 66,320 for the leader of one faction of the Conservative Party who ran against Somoza. The total percentage of votes cast according to official figures was approximately 69%”.[1]

Anastasio Somoza Debaylewon 743,985 out of 815,758 votes cast, the Conservatives picked up their allocation of 40 percent of the seats for fulfilling the tryst and an equal proportion of the electorate abstained. The very predictability of this result provoked a growing number of dissidents from the Conservative and Liberal Parties to join with the Independent Liberal Party, Popular Social Christian Party, Nicaraguan Socialist Party and a number of trade unions in forming the ‘Unión Democrática de Liberación’ (UDEL)”.[2]

Presidential election results[3]

Candidate Party/Alliance Votes %
Anastasio Somoza Debayle Liberal Nationalist Party (PLN) 733,662 91.71%
Edmundo Paguaga Irías Conservative Party (PC) 66,320 08.29%
Total valid votes 799,982 100%
Spoilt and invalid votes ?? ??
Total votes/Turnout ?? ??
Registered voters 1,152,268
Population 2,080,000

Legislative election [4]

Parties and alliances Votes % Seats/ Senate Seats/ Chamber of Deputies
Liberal Nationalist Party (PLN) 733,662 91.71% 18 42
Conservative Party (PC) 66,320 08.29% 12 28
Total valid votes 799,982 100% 30 70
Spoilt and invalid votes ?? ??
Total votes/Turnout ?? ??
Registered voters 1,152,268
Population 2,080,000

References

  1. Bowdler, George A. and Patrick Cotter. Voter participation in Central America, 1954-1981: an exploration. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America. 1982. Pp. 64.
  2. Dunkerley, James. Power in the isthmus: a political history of Central America. London: Verso. 1988. Pp. 235-236.
  3. Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.] : Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Pp.502.
  4. Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 1. [Oxford] [u.a.] : Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Pp.496.

Bibliography