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Leftist Ortega poised for a return to power
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Race
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| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Edited | Thomas Walker Jul 31, 2006 11:18am |
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| Category | General |
| News Date | Monday, July 31, 2006 05:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | MANAGUA - For 16 years, Daniel Ortega has been trying to regain at the ballot box what he once seized through a revolution -- the presidency of Nicaragua.
After toppling the Somoza family dictatorship in 1979 and leading the nation for more than a decade as the head of the Marxist Sandinista party, Ortega has lost the last three elections.
But now, a confluence of forces -- from a fractured opposition to the unexpected death of a chief rival -- seems to be giving the Reagan-era icon of the left a fighting chance of winning the Nov. 5 presidential race.
Sitting on the patio of the walled-off home that doubles as his campaign headquarters, Ortega, 60, does the political math: Twice during the past three elections, he has won more than 40 percent of the votes.
However, thanks to changes pushed through the National Assembly by his party in 2000, 40 percent -- and not a simple majority -- will be enough to avoid a runoff in this year's five-way race. |
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