MANAGUA – Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega cruised to a landslide re-election victory after attracting broad support for his anti-poverty programmes.
Mr Ortega had 62.7 per cent of the vote with returns in from 86 per cent of polling stations in Sunday’s presidential election.
That was more than double the tally for his closest rival, conservative radio personality Fabio Gadea.
Mr Ortega’s supporters poured into the streets of Managua to celebrate. “I’m happy ... I think that people are convinced, they voted for social programmes, voted for the future, voted for the poor,” said lawyer Silvia Calderon (54).
Mr Gadea refused to accept the results and accused Mr Ortega of fraud, but international election observers said voting irregularities had not changed the final result.
The huge victory margin is a personal triumph for a man who was for long a divisive figure – popular among his Sandinista party’s supporters but distrusted by many and despised by business leaders because of economic chaos during his first term as president in the 1980s.
Mr Ortega (65) has moderated some of his socialist policies since winning back the presidency five years ago and has won praise for not molesting private businesses.
Helped by financial support from Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, Mr Ortega has put money into health and education programmes, provided loans for small businesses and given aid to farmers. – (Reuters)