by the El Reportero’s news services
Daniel Ortega
Nicaragua’s Supreme Electoral Court (CSE) officially confirmed President Daniel Ortega the winner of the 6 November presidential contest, with 62.56 percent of the valid vote.
José Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), said the election represented a step forward for the country in terms of “democracy and peace”, while the European Union is siding with the Nicaraguan opposition who is calling the election invalid and fraudulent. They are demanding for new elections.
Colombia turns its back on Uribe
A political colossus just over a year ago, and the longest serving president since the establishment of the Republic of Colombia in 1886, Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010) looks increasingly embittered as he loses his grip on Colombian politics.
It is not always easy to identify winners and losers in regional elections but on 30 October Uribe suffered several painful defeats, none more so than the victory for Gustavo Petro in the race for mayor of Bogotá: as a senator, Petro, a former M-19 guerrilla, was the one man not just to stand up to Uribe but to expose the parapolitics scandal that did most to damage his legacy. Uribe’s choice for mayor, Enrique Peñalosa, was one of a number of candidates nationwide that failed to benefit from his patronage.
Then there was the resurgence, at the expense of Uribismo, of the Partido Liberal (PL), which President Juan Manuel Santos solidified by appointing the PL president, Rafael Pardo, to his cabinet.
