MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- Amid allegations that the ruling Sandinista party rigged the Nov. 9 municipal elections in their favor, the Nicaraguan opposition is backing a proposal in that country's Congress that would annul the results and set up new elections. But President Daniel Ortega calls the proposal "illegal" and announced a decree last Friday that he says would block the opposition's allegedly unconstitutional maneuver. He announced the decree after nearly two weeks of violence that broke out in the capital and other cities upon allegations of electoral fraud from opposition leaders. "I hope that this returns everything back to normal," Ortega said of his decree. "There's no sense in continuing these confrontations. Instead, I invite the legislators to a session to make advancements on the health and education programs that are so needed for our people." Three days before his speech, Sandinista supporters throwing rocks and launching homemade mortar rounds blocked an opposition protest march through the capital, one of the many outbursts of violence that swept the nation after the elections.
Nicaraguan Opposition Challenges Ortega’s ‘Convincing Victory’
