Nicaraguan Election Will Be Closely Contested
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – There is no clear frontrunner in the early stages of the presidential race in Nicaragua, according to a poll by Borge y Asociados for the Centro de Investigaciones de la Comunicación. 28 per cent of respondents would vote for former Managua mayor Herty Lewites, while 26.2 per cent would support former Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) member and presidency secretary Eduardo Montealegre.
Former president Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) is third with 18.5 per cent, followed by the eventual PLC candidate with 10.4 per cent, and José Antonio Alvarado of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) with 5.8 per cent.
Lewites headed the government of Nicaragua’s capital from 2001 to 2005, but was expelled from the FSLN in February. In March, the party officially designated Ortega as its presidential nominee. Ortega governed from 1985 to 1990, but was a losing candidate in the 1990, 1996 and 2001 ballots.
In 2001, the PLC’s Enrique Bolaños won the presidential election with 56.3 per cent of the vote. The president lost the support of the PLC in January 2002, when his government decided to take legal action against Arnoldo Alemán. Last year, the former head of state—who governed the country from 1997 to 2002—was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud, money laundering and embezzlement.
The next presidential and legislative election is scheduled for November 2006.
Polling Data
Who would you vote for in the presidential election if the candidates were these?
Herty Lewites
28.0%
Eduardo Montealegre
26.2%
Daniel Ortega
18.5%
The PLC candidate
10.4%
José Antonio Alvarado
5.8%
None
8.2%
Not sure
2.8%
Source: Borge y Asociados / Centro de Investigaciones de la Comunicación
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Nicaraguan adults, conducted from Oct. 7 to Nov. 7, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
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