Nicaraguan opposition says elections “void and illegitimate”

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaraguan opposition groups are saying next month’s presidential election is “void and illegitimate” because of President Daniel Ortega’s arrests of critics and potential challengers. A statement issued Thursday by the country’s main opposition alliances calls on the Organization of American States to suspend the Nicaraguan government from the body. Ortega opened his election campaign this week almost unopposed, after he tossed most of his rivals in jail on treason charges. The opposition says those moves “ended any vestige of real electoral competition” in the Nov. 7 election, in which Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term.