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From: myers@uwmacc.UUCP (Jeff Myers)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Nicaraguan Elections
Message-ID: <659@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 12-Jan-85 10:24:43 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.659
Posted: Sat Jan 12 10:24:43 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Jan-85 04:22:54 EST
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>   The Salvadorian[sic] government offered every opposition group including
> the guerillas to participate in the elections. They didn't because they knew
> they would loose big since the majority of the people support their
> government.
>   They were offered equal time media coverage. Did the Sandinistas do
> the same ???

As a matter of fact, they did.  Also equal quantities of money.  Don't
you read the New York Times?  The real difference was in organizational
strength prior to and during the elections.  The Sandinistas were able
to get more people to rallies because of the size of their party.  This
also enabled them to heckle effectively, probably *too* effectively.

The Contras were not allowed to participate, however.  Since they are
engaged in killing civilians (including private sector coffee growers
who support the government), this was a reasonable policy, in my view.
The Honduran based, US supplied Contras are engaged in a scorched earth
mode of warfare waged from outside the country.

How many opposition leaders in Nicaragua have been killed?  How many
in El Salvador?  The current President of El Salvador was tortured a
few years ago by a military that has not changed all that much from
that time to the present.

Someone earlier said that the Mexican TV that they watched ended up
concluding that the Nicaraguan elections were invalid, but didn't
explain why the TV station concluded this.  Would this person please
expand on his point?

-- 
Jeff Myers				The views above may or may not
University of Wisconsin-Madison		reflect the views of any other
Madison Academic Computing Center	person or group at UW-Madison.
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