WORLD NEWS

Russia welcomes results of Nicaraguan general elections

Russian, Venezuelan foreign ministers meet in Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. AA

H. J. I. / AA

Moscow supports the results of the Nicaraguan elections, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

The elections were held in an organized manner, in full compliance with Nicaraguan legislation in this area, Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow, following a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Felix Plasencia.

Lavrov condemned the US appeal not to recognize the results of the election, stressing that only the people of Nicaragua have the right to judge the legitimacy of the electoral process in the country.

The minister recalled that the pressure on Nicaragua began "neither today nor yesterday, but back in 2018, when Nicaragua became the object of undisguised interference in its own internal affairs."

- And, unfortunately, attempts to overthrow the current leadership of Nicaragua continue and are not particularly camouflaged - Lavrov said.

The minister then announced Russia will send observers to the Venezuelan regional election slated for Nov. 21.

For his part, Plasencia welcomed the results of the Nicaraguan elections and slammed the attempts to interfere in Nicaragua's internal affairs.

He also suggested organizing a meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, comprising 19 countries, in Russia "in the shortest possible time."

Nicaragua held on Sunday general elections and more than 4.5 million voters out of 6.5 million people in the country voted for candidates for the presidency, deputies of the National Assembly, and the Central American Parliament.

In addition to the alliance led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, from which the current head of state, Daniel Ortega, is running for the presidency, six other political parties participated in the campaign, including a regional one.

The voting process was monitored by observers from all political forces participating in the elections, and by more than 200 independent observers from Russia, the US, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, and Latin American countries.