Daniel Ortega wins Nicaragua presidency

[cal04]

Former Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega appeared headed for victory Monday in his longtime quest to regain power, 16 years after a U.S.-backed rebellion helped drive the former Marxist revolutionary from office.

Early results from Sunday's presidential election gave the Sandinista leader a strong lead over his four rivals. His victory, if confirmed by final results, would expand the club of leftist Latin rulers led by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, who has tried to help his ally by shipping cheap oil to the energy-starved nation.

Ortega, who led Nicaragua from 1985-1990, has repeatedly said he is not the Marxist revolutionary who fought U.S.-backed Contra rebels, a war that left 30,000 dead and the economy in shambles.

But while he has toned down his leftist rhetoric and pledged to continue free-trade policies, the United States remains openly wary of its former Cold War foe. Washington has threatened to withhold aid to the nation, fearing a return to the socialist economic policies of the 1980s.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061106/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/nicaragua_elections

[acmavm]

1. I'll bet there's some hissy fittin' about this in Washington D.C.

Wonder if they think they can pull off another coup. I mean, they almost need to subvert every South American/Central American government in order to get their influence and power back to where it was during the good old death squad days.

[spanone]

3. White House is already talking sanctions.

[acmavm]

12. If these buffoons sanctioned every nation that's of a mind

to tell the bush** thugs to go take a flying leap, the only country we'd be doing business with is Britain.

[Bassic]

2. So, how long before Bush sends the Contras? nt

[Cassandra]

4. That damp spot you feel is...

the drool from Negroponte.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. Negraponte was my first thought................. eom

[Coexist]

5. ... and guess who is already down there?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2601523

Oliver North back in Nicaragua as old foe leads

[fishwax]

13. "North earlier this month urged washing to *intervene*"

"The anti-American leftists in Latin America are using elections — not revolutions or military coups — to take and then solidify power. It's a tactic that seems to have escaped the striped-pants set in our State Department," he said in an October 9 editorial in the Washington Times.

can't have the people of latin america electing their own leaders now, can we? :eyes:

[karynnj]

18. OMG - elections are a "tactic" to take and solidify power

This is beyond belief! Isn't that the way it's suppose to be done. Also, why is this felon given any respectability.

[EFerrari]

6. The United States remains "openly wary"?

You can't make this sh!t up!

[LeftHander]

7. U.S. Supports democracy....

But only if the nose picked candidate wins.

[leesa]

8. Dang! Lot's of holes in the Commie dike. All that lying, lawbreaking and killing

Reagan and Bush 1 did was for nothing?

[slaveplanet]

10. you'd think they'd tire

//Washington has threatened to withhold aid to the nation, fearing a return to the socialist economic policies of the 1980s.//

of playing whack-a-mole?

[EFerrari]

14. How much force does this have given the current state of

Latin America?

"Latin America threatens to refuse US aid, fearing a return of the murderous social policies of the 1980s."

[mom cat]

11. Viva Ortega! ... Viva Liberdad!

May we someday have a government that represents the people!

[Sensitivity]

16. Amen --It's hard out here for a decent Presidential Canidate

[cal04]

15. Ortega wins Nicaragua election

FORMER revolutionary leader Daniel Ortega won Nicaragua's presidential election with more than 38 per cent of the vote, an electoral observers' group said, citing a quick count it conducted.

Mr Ortega had a lead of almost nine points over his closest rival, conservative Eduardo Montealegre, according to the Ethics and Transparency group, which deployed 11,000 electoral monitors during yesterday's voting.

(snip)
If the results hold, Mr Ortega will be elected president, having topped the 35 per cent needed to win outright without going to a second round of voting.

“These results are final,” said Roberto Courtney, who heads Ethics and Transparency, stressing Mr Ortega's lead was irreversible.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20714722-1702,00.html

[spanone]

17. Hey Bush*, democracy sucks if you don't like the outcome, eh?

[Straight Shooter]

19. I wouldn't call Ortega a chicken, but the past is now coming home to roost.

Daniel Ortega has learned to tailor his message to gain the most benefit. Look out, bush, something's gaining. Negroponte, you can't kill an idea.

[malaise]

20. I'm loving it

Bush will now cut aid, like he was giving any.

[Jack Rabbit]

21. Take that, Frat Boy

¡Viva Sandino!

[Fierce]

22. But wait -- he's all about the pro-life!

Since that's all that matters to the righties, why aren't they celebrating that?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. Not surprising at all

I still remember the news reports from the 1990 election, saying that when it was announced that Violeta Chamorro had narrowly defeated Ortega, people didn't seem at all happy, just kind of shell-shocked. Bush Sr. had hinted rather strongly that the Contra war would be called off if and only if the Nicaraguans voted "correctly."

I also recall 1982, when the Sandinistas earned 69% of the vote, and Reagan said that it was proof of cheating, a typical "Communist" election. (Actually, in Eastern European elections during the Cold War, the Communist Party typically received 99% of the vote, with a few abstentions, since they were the only candidates.)

Even the MSM are admitting that Nicaraguans are disillusioned with "democracy" (= free reign for the sweat shops) which hasn't done a thing to improve their everyday lives.

[cal04]

24. Ortega Appears to Win Nicaragua Election

Daniel Ortega, the revolutionary Marxist who battled a U.S.-backed Contra insurgency in the 1980s, was closing in on Nicaragua's presidency, appearing Monday to have defeated four opponents with promises that he was a changed man.

Electoral officials had yet to release final results from Sunday's vote, but preliminary results and two of the country's top electoral watchdog groups all gave Ortega about 40 percent of the vote. That was more than enough to avoid a runoff against Harvard-educated banker Eduardo Montealegre, who trailed by at least seven percentage points.

Former Contra rebel and last-place presidential candidate Eden Pastora admitted defeat Monday. But the other three candidates refused to recognize Ortega's victory, saying they would wait until all the votes had been counted. The United States, which has threatened to pull aid from an Ortega government, also said it was too soon to declare the Sandinista leader a winner.

``This isn't over until the last vote has been counted,'' Montealegre said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6196533,00.html