46 (80%) of the municipalities [... and have] at least eighty per cent (80%) of the total number of candidates.”59 124(25) Articles 83 and 84 of the 2000 Electoral Act establish that political parties or alliances of parties, “through their respective legal representatives, may substitute their candidates in one, several or all the districts during the period indicated or during the extension they are granted by the Supreme Electoral Council.” Should the Council “deny a request or reject a candidate because they do not comply with the legal requirements, it will notify the political party or alliance of parties within the three days that follow the decision, so that it may proceed to correct the defects or to substitute the candidates.”60 B) CONSTITUTION OF YATAMA AS A POLITICAL PARTY 124(26) On March 8, 2000, nine members of YATAMA signed a public instrument “to establish a framework for and adapt its electoral participation [...] as a Regional EthnoPolitical group, in accordance with Article 71 of the [Electoral] Act [of January 24, 2000], for presentation to the Supreme Electoral Council, to obtain authorization to proceed to [...] legalize [this organization] and fulfill the established formalities for requesting legal status and being recognized as a ‘REGIONAL POLITICAL PARTY’.” In this instrument, they appointed Brooklyn Rivera Bryan as their representative before the said Council, and Centuriano Knight Andrews for the RAAN, and John Alex Delio Bans for the RAAS as alternate representatives.61 124(27) The General Assembly of the Communities adopted the YATAMA Statute and it was certified by notary public on March 30, 2000. This Statute established that the said “ethno-political organization of the indigenous people and ethnic communities [...] was governed by the [...] principles of the defense of the strategic interests of the indigenous people and ethnic communities of the Caribbean Coast and Jinotega and, in particular, the defense of the territories and self-government.”62 124(28) On May 4, 2000, one day before the expiry of the time limit for an organization to obtain legal status to take part in the municipal elections of November 5, 2000, according to Article 77 of Electoral Act No. 331 of 2000 (supra para. 124(23)), the Supreme Electoral Council issued a resolution in which it granted YATAMA legal status as a regional political party. In this resolution, the Supreme 59 Cf. Electoral Act No. 331 of January 24, 2000 (appendixes to the brief with preliminary objections, answering the application and with comments on the brief with requests and arguments, appendix D, file of preliminary objections, merits and reparations, tome II). 60 Cf. Electoral Act No. 331 of January 24, 2000 (appendixes to the brief with preliminary objections, answering the application and with comments on the brief with requests and arguments, appendix D, file of preliminary objections, merits and reparations, tome II, folio 36); application for amparo filed by YATAMA’s legal representatives before the Civil Chamber of the Court of Appeal of the North Atlantic District, Puerto Cabezas (file of appendixes to the application, tome II, appendix 8(1), folio 530); and resolution issued by the Supreme Electoral Council on August 15, 2000 (file of appendixes to the application, tome II, appendix 15(2), folio 599). 61 Cf. public instrument of March 8, 2000 (file of appendixes to the application, tome II, appendix 9, folio 556). 62 Cf. Article 3(a) of the YATAMA Charter of March 20, 2000 (file of appendixes to the application, tome II, appendix 9, folios 560).