News In Brief
| Managua, Nicaragua
Sandinist margin two-thirds; US may affirm Ortega status
Preliminary results of the Nicaraguan elections from 37 percent of the country's polling booths showed the Nicaraguan Sandinist National Liberation Front (FSLN) polled 67 percent of Sunday's vote, with opposition parties holding a combined total of about 32 percent.
The Supreme Electoral Council said 82.8 percent of the electorate had voted, and Western diplomats said preliminary results showed Nicaragua's 1.5 million registered voters felt they had a genuine voice in the poll for president, vice-president, and a 90-member constituent assembly.
Meanwhile in Washington, the State Departament said yesterday it will probably still recognize Daniel Ortega as President of Nicaragua, although it cautioned that that does not mean it thinks Sunday's election was legitimate.
