Sandinista Leader Ortega Poised to Win Nicaragua Presidential Election

In Nicaragua, Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega has a clear lead in the country's presidential election. With votes tallied from more than 60 percent of polling stations, Ortega has over 38 percent of the vote, nearly eight percentage points ahead of his conservative, Washington-backed rival Eduardo Montealegre. Ortega needs to win at least 35 percent and hold a lead of 5 points to take victory in the first round and avoid a runoff.

He is expected to be confirmed as the winner with a final batch of returns on Tuesday. As results trickled in, thousands of Sandinista party supporters celebrated in the streets of Managua on Monday night.

Montealegre dismissed the partial results, saying he would face Ortega in a run-off. He also highlighted what he called voting irregularities, saying "In a democracy, that is unacceptable." But international observer teams declared that the election was orderly and lawful.

The race has drawn heavy attention from the Bush administration. The White House has threatened economic sanctions and withdrawal of aid if voters elect Ortega. The former president is trying to regain power for the first time since 1990. In recent weeks a number of current and former U.S. officials have warned about the consequences of an Ortega victory. Oliver North recently traveled to Nicaragua and said a victory by Ortega would be "the worst thing" for the country.

* Roberto Vargas, veteran Nicaraguan diplomat from 1979 to 1991. Served as Charges de Affaires in Washington, D.C., Director of the North American Directorate at the Foreign Ministry in Managua, and finally Nicaraguan Ambassador to China.

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