As civil strife intensifies in Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega is poised to defeat the opposition and strengthen his grip on power.
Protests and unrest continued in Nicaragua on Nov. 18 in the aftermath of contested municipal elections as pro-government forces waged street battles with opposition movement in Leon, 60 miles northwest of the capital, Managua. As civil strife intensifies, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is poised to defeat the opposition and strengthen his grip on power.
The trouble began Nov. 9 with municipal elections that the opposition Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC) and other domestic and international observers warned could be manipulated by pro-government forces. PLC leader Eduardo Montealegre claimed election fraud after Nicaragua’s Election Commission declared the results, with only 39 mayoral positions going to the PLC and 103 seats going to the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).