Ortega Victory Imminent in Nicaraguan Elections
November 6, 2006

The Baltimore Sun, Associated Press and Reuters are all reporting that Sandinista leftist Daniel Ortega has won the presidential elections in Nicaragua after early returns show he has secured 40% of the popular vote.  Runner up Eduardo Montealegre, a Washington backed conservative candidate, has received around 30% of the vote.  Three other candidates finished well behind leading pair.  Nicaraguan electoral laws state that a candidate needs to secure over 40% of the vote, or 35% plus a 5 point lead over the runner up to avoid a second round runoff election.

This year’s election marked Ortega’s fifth consecutive campaign for the presidency, and a victory would mark his return to power after 16 years.  The previous Sandinista government lost power in 1990 following a civil war with U.S.-backed Contra rebels and ensuing economic crisis.

Thousands of international observers including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter were in Nicaragua to monitor the elections, but have not responded to the claims of irregularities by runner up Montealegre.  The conservative candidate claims he has secured enough votes to advance to a run off election according to Reuters.  The same Reuters reports states that if a second round of elections were to occur, Ortega would not have much of a chance to win.  Conservative opponents of Ortega have endorsed a single candidate in the past effectively keeping Ortega out of power, but were “divided this election, giving him (Ortega) his best chance of a triumphant return.”

The United States has threatened to cut aid to Nicaragua if Ortega won the election, “fearing a return to the socialist economic policies of the 1980s,” according to the Guardian.  Ortega insists that he is no longer the “Marxist revolutionary who fought U.S. backed Contra rebels,” and has pledged his commitment to retaining free trade.  The Baltimore Sun reports that in an attempt to demonstrate his ideological reform Ortega has made Jaimie Morales his vice president, a former bitter enemy and Contra spokesperson.

Despite U.S. officials saying “it was too soon to ‘make an overall judgment on the fairness and transparency of the process,’” the Nicaraguan Supreme Electoral Council has claimed international observers will confirm that the elections were “transparent.”  If Montealegre’s insistence that there will be a second round of elections is accurate, it will occur in December. 

Sources:

Baltimore Sun (Associated Press Report): Ortega said to win Nicaraguan election
Reuters: Ortega leads tense Nicaragua vote count
The Guardian: Daniel Ortega Wins Nicaragua Presidency