(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Nicaragua are against extending the tenure of Daniel Ortega, according to a poll by M&R. 70.9 per cent of respondents oppose Ortega’s re-election, down 6.6 points since May.

In November 2006, Ortega—a member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN)—won the presidential election with 37.99 per cent of all cast ballots. Presidential candidates in Nicaragua are not compelled to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote in order to win the election.

Ortega governed from 1985 to 1990, but was a losing candidate in the 1990, 1996 and 2001 ballots. In January 2007, he was sworn in for a five-year term.

Consecutive presidential re-election is currently not permitted in Nicaragua. Since 1995, presidential re-election in the Central American country is only allowed once and in non-consecutive terms. Ortega has repeatedly suggested that the five-year presidential term is too short and that the current law, enshrined in the constitution, should be revised.

On Aug. 20, former Nicaraguan president Arnoldo Alemán said his Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) is willing to talk about the possibility of allowing consecutive re-election, adding, "I personally think that the current constitutional provision is good, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot discuss this. It is not taboo." Alemán went on to say that Ortega is seeking to "instate a dictatorship" in Nicaragua.

Polling Data

Would you support Daniel Ortega’s re-election?

Source: M&R
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Nicaraguan adults, conducted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 19, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

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