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Nicaragua's leading opposition candidate Fabio Gadea has stepped up his attack on incumbent Daniel Ortega. Ortega is heading for his third stint in power despite controversy over a constitutional provision prohibiting consecutive terms.
Opposition supporters gathered outside Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council on Saturday. Police have been moved in there to keep demonstrators at bay, fearing more protests.
A divisive 2009 ruling by the supreme court overturned a constitutional ban on consecutive re-elections and paved the way for another decisive Ortega win over his rivals. A recent CID-Gallup poll gave Ortega 48 percent voter support, way ahead of Gadea's 30 percent.
The opposition figure is now looking to rile up Nicaraguans frustrated by Ortega's tight grip over the top job.
Fabio Gadea, presidential candidate, independent liberal party, said, "We expected to win outright in 2008 but there was electoral fraud in the municipal elections. However, municipal elections are less important than presidential elections, and some observers who are important people, such as those from the Carter Centre, have been denied access, while only the European Union and the OAS (Organisation of American States) have been allowed."
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