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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Ortega appears to have won Nicaraguan election |
| 2006-11-06 |
| Former Nicaraguan 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. It's the New Daniel. Look at those nice sheep's clothes. 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. With 15 percent of polling stations counted, Ortega had 40 percent of Sunday's vote, compared with 33 percent for his closest challenger, the wealthy banker Eduardo Montealegre. To win outright and avoid a runoff, the leftist Sandinista leader needs just 35 percent of the vote and a five-point advantage over his closest opponent. Three others rivals were well behind: Sandinista dissident Edmundo Jarquin, ruling-party candidate Jose Rizo and former Contra rebel Eden Pastora. The U.S. Embassy said it was too soon to "make an overall judgment on the fairness and transparency of the process." I'm sure Jimmeh doesn't think it too soon: if an anti-American leftist wins, it must a fair election. "We are receiving reports of some anomalies in the electoral process," including polling stations that opened late and closed early, the embassy said. At stake are millions of dollars in potential investments, many from foreign companies drawn to Nicaragua by its cheap labor, low crime rates and decision to join the new Central American Free Trade Agreement. "We are playing with the stability of the country," said Jose Adan Aguirre, president of the Chamber of Commerce. After voting Sunday, Ortega said he was confident there wouldn't be a runoff |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #6 I still need to buy a boggle. WalMart's having a sale. I wiped out the supply in Colorado Springs. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-11-06 18:50 |
| #5 Let's see how long it is until he starts importing Russian or Chinese Migs and missiles capable of reaching the southern US. Soon as this shit starts we should send him a loud, clear, and flashy message (impacting directly on the Presidential palace in Managua). |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2006-11-06 18:09 |
| #4 Right, tu3031. I still need to buy a boggle, my supply is depleted. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-11-06 14:31 |
| #3 It'll be interesting to see how he handles the economy without a sugar-daddy and a villian to blame his failures upon. He's counting on Chavez to be his sugar daddy. The US will always be the villain. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-11-06 14:23 |
| #2 It'll be interesting to see how he handles the economy without a sugar-daddy and a villian to blame his failures upon. Of course he'll always be the darling of the left so he's got that going for him. Can leftist bootlickers provide enough tourist dollars to prop up the Nicaraguan economy? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-11-06 13:16 |
| #1 People that don't learn their lessons usually get what they deserve... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-11-06 10:40 |