Gadea

Mr. Ortega's main opponent, Mr. Gadea, known for decades in Nicaragua as the voice of colorful radio characters, split the opposition vote with a third candidate, former President Arnoldo Alemán, a sometime Ortega political ally, who had barely 6%.

Nicaragua's Ortega Wins in Landslide José de Córdoba 2011

With about 86% of the votes from Sunday's ballot counted, the 65-year-old former Sandinista guerrilla commander had won 63% of the vote, compared to 31% for his nearest rival, radio personality Fabio Gadea, 79.

Nicaragua's Ortega Wins in Landslide José de Córdoba 2011

It believes that polls do not fully capture popular dissatisfaction with the wily, power-hungry Sandinista, and it hopes that his closest rival, center-right, anticorruption candidate Fabio Gadea, can come out ahead in a fair election much as Mrs. Chamorro did.

Ortega Won't Let Go of Nicaragua Mary Anastasia O'Grady 2011

Fabio Gadea, a candidate for president of Nicaragua, told a news conference that the election was flawed, saying the results "do not reflect the will of the people, but that of the electoral council."

Nicaragua's Ortega Wins in Landslide José de Córdoba 2011

An earlier version of this article incorrectly quoted Mr. Gadea as saying that the results the results "do not reflect the will of the people, but rather the power of the state."

Nicaragua's Ortega Wins in Landslide José de Córdoba 2011

If that number holds, Mr. Gadea has a serious shot at forcing a runoff.

Ortega Won't Let Go of Nicaragua Mary Anastasia O'Grady 2011

But pre-election polls gave Mr. Ortega, 65 years old, a former guerrilla commander and a central figure in the country's bloody history of revolution and civil war, an 18-point lead over his closest rival, radio personality Fabio Gadea, 79, of the Liberal Independent Party.

Nicaragua's Ortega Set to Win Election José de Córdoba 2011

Mr. Gadea, known throughout Nicaragua as the inventor of colorful radio personalities, is likely to split the opposition vote with a third candidate, former president Arnoldo Alemán of the Constitutional Liberal Party, a sometime Ortega political ally.

Nicaragua's Ortega Set to Win Election José de Córdoba 2011

To be sure, there was a large march on November 22 of last year where tens of thousands of people - led by should-be president Fabio Gadea - marched in rejection of the fraud.

Joel D. Hirst: Daniel Ortega to Host Ahmadinejad Joel D. Hirst 2012

Mr. Gadea told a news conference that the election was flawed, saying the results "do not reflect the will of the people, but that of the electoral council."

Nicaragua's Ortega Wins in Landslide José de Córdoba 2011