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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-vlnvax!schneider
From: schneider@vlnvax.DEC
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Reagan propaganda
Message-ID: <229@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Dec-84 17:37:12 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.229
Posted: Wed Dec 12 17:37:12 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Dec-84 00:11:08 EST
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Associated Press (reprinted without permission)

	WASHINGTON - A private panel said yesterday that last month's
presidential election in Nicaragua, although flawed, was an essentially
honest process that featured political give-and-take, meaningful choices
for the electorate and an apparently accurate vote count.
	The conclusions of the five-member commission differ sharply from
those of the Reagan Administration, which has described the Nov. 4
balloting as an "electoral farce without any meaningful political 
opposition."
	The ticket of the ruling Sandinista party, headed by President-
elect Daniel Ortega, won 62.8 percent of the vote against six other
parties.  The turnout was reported to be 75 percent.
	The panel issssued a 60-page report that assailed the United
States' role in the process.  It said the Reagan Administration
"consistently sought to undermine and discredit the elections by
critisizing the fairness of the process, by encouraging the abstentions
of various parties and by lobbying other governments to critisize
the process."
	The day after the election, the State Department said the United
States "consistently supported the opposition efforts to participate
in a meaningful election process."  It accused the Sandinistas of 
manipulating "every aspect of the electoral process" in an attempt
to project widespread popular support.

			**************

I expect the right-wing readers who swallow everything Ronnie says 
hook, line and sinker to start bitching about the "liberal" panel
 Associated Press, etc.  I say let 'em bitch.

				Daniel Schneider
				DEC, Marlboro, MA
				{decvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-vlnvax!schneider