Sandinista National Liberation Front wins in Nicaragua

07.11.2016

Daniel Ortega, the candidate of left-wing forces and the current president, has become the undisputed leader in the elections.

The results of the people's will

The Sandinista National Liberation Front party won 71.3% of the vote, as the Supreme Electoral Council has reported. The constitutionalist liberal party has taken second place with 16% of the vote.

Political details

The president, vice president, and members of parliament and local councils are to be elected during these elections. Thus, the revolutionary forces have succeeded in obtaining a majority in almost all positions.

Ortega is well-known to defend traditional family values. This is very significant, because some leftist Latin American governments have supported several of the Sandinistas' projects at the legislative level, such as Uruguay and Bolivia.

Foreign policy

Nicaragua traditionally opposes US influence in the region. It is also one of the few countries that recognizes the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The country's relations with Russia will remain at a high level.

Moreover, one of the country's priorities in terms of international policy is constructing a canal which will compete with the Panama Canal. Its operation is to be fully planned by 2019 and fully implemented by 2024.