Nicaragua awaits election result

Former revolutionary Daniel Ortega took a big lead in this country's presidential election late Sunday and was close to winning a first-round victory.

Election officials said the public release of the results was being delayed by a large turnout, estimated at 75 percent, which forced many polling places to stay open long past the scheduled 6 p.m. closing.

But officials said privately that with half the votes counted Ortega appeared to be cruising to a first-round victory.

Ortega led by double digits in the final, pre-election polls but needed to win at least 35 percent of the vote to avoid a December runoff.

"We have ample faith in God that the Nicaraguan people will win a first-round victory," Ortega said as he cast his vote in this capital city. He said Nicaragua's neighbors had nothing to fear should the Sandinistas return to power.

Despite delays at polling places, international and Nicaraguan observers said the vote appeared to proceed normally.

An estimated 2.8 million people cast votes. Analysts said Ortega would have little chance to win a runoff, because his conservative and leftist opponents would likely unite against him.

This year, Ortega's political fortunes have risen thanks to growing discontent with conservative rule. The economic policies of the three conservative presidents have produced important reforms, including the signing of a free trade treaty with the United States, but also have led hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans to neighboring Costa Rica and El Salvador in search of work.