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Nicaragua President on Course for 3rd Consecutive Term

Nicaragua President on Course for 3rd Consecutive Term
folder_openLatin America access_time7 years ago
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Local Editor

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is heading for a third consecutive term in office after securing more than 70% of the vote in partial results for Sunday's election, officials said.

Nicaragua President on Course for 3rd Consecutive Term

A former left-wing rebel, Ortega is popular in the country thanks to social programs and economic stability.

He was widely expected to win as he faced no obvious challenger.

Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, was also standing for vice president.

"There has been an excellent turnout," said Telemaco Talavera, an official accredited to monitor the vote.

With ballots from 21.3% of polling stations counted, Ortega had 71.3% of the votes.
Critics accused Ortega of manipulating the political system to stay in power and of smothering the opposition.

The vote was seen as the most one-sided election in Nicaragua since the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979 - a process that Ortega himself was involved in.

But Nicaragua is sharply divided over the 70-year-old former guerrilla.
 
Many feel that the elections were a farce, that with this, his third consecutive term, there is growing autocracy in the country and the role of his wife as running-mate is too much of a family affair.

The fact remains, though, that he was the most popular candidate by far.

Overseeing Nicaragua's stable economic growth and the lack of violence compared to the problems of its neighbors El Salvador and Honduras in recent years have cemented him as the best option for many Nicaraguans.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team


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