Nicaragua Leftists Gain in Elections
Nicaragua’s leftist opposition Sandinista party, which fought a civil war with U.S.-backed rebels when it ruled in the 1980s, made strong gains in weekend elections, taking control of almost all major cities.
Results released Monday showed the Sandinistas handing a heavy defeat to the ruling party, which has been weakened by internal feuding and a drive to remove President Enrique Bolanos amid campaign finance and corruption allegations.
“Most Nicaraguans are convinced that the only force that can save this country, the rich and the poor, is the FSLN,” or Sandinista National Liberation Front, former President Daniel Ortega, the party leader, told thousands of supporters in Managua’s central plaza.
The capital, Managua, held by the Sandinistas since 2000, was the main battleground for 152 municipalities that were up for grabs Sunday.
With 73% of the vote counted in the race for Managua mayor, Sandinista candidate Dionisio Marenco had 45%, compared with 36% for Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, son of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
The Sandinistas also appeared to be headed for victory in at least 15 of Nicaragua’s 17 provincial capitals and in 91 towns, election officials said. The party held 11 of those provincial capitals going into Sunday’s elections.
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