NICARAGUA: CAMPAIGNS END FOR GENERAL AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Описание: (16 Oct 1996) Spanish/Nat

Candidates in Nicaragua's general and presidential elections on Sunday are wrapping up their campaigns.

Liberal candidate Arnoldo Aleman and the leftist Sandinista candidate Daniel Ortega are neck-to-neck in the most recent pre-election polls.

But whichever candidate wins on Sunday will face a country plagued with
social and economic instability.

Presidential candidates had a last chance Wednesday to persuade voters for Sunday's elections.

There are 33 parties on the ballot but the Liberal Constitutional Party and the Sandinista National Liberation Front are the only two that will count in Sunday's presidential contest.

Liberal candidate Arnoldo Aleman and Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega have worked tirelessly to gather support.

And analysts say the forces that dominated Nicaraguan political life during the 1980's will still prevail regardless of which candidate wins.

Arnoldo Aleman- the anti-Sandinista candidate- invokes images of the 1980's civil war, casting doubts over Ortega's new image and promises to bury his revolutionary past once and for all.

Ortega- on the other hand- labels his opponent a supporter of former right-wing dictator Anastasio Somoza.

The Sandinistas are making a better comeback than anyone expected.

Ortega spruced up his image, changing his military fatigues for a hip white shirt and a baseball cap.

And he's quickly closing the gap in pre-election polls.

As the campaign comes to an end, preparations are underway to ensure a smooth election.

The police and the military have been deployed to the streets of Managua to guarantee the security of voters and observers.

On Tuesday a new apparently armed group threatened to attack election officials and observers if they were accompanied by police or the army.

The government has not made official comments on the new group, but President Violeta Chamorro says the election process is running smoothly.

SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"Everything is being done with all respect and peacefully."
SUPER CAPTION: Violeta Chamorro, President of Nicaragua

Sunday's election are crucial for consolidating the country's democracy.

But whichever candidates wins the presidential contest will inherit a country plagued by economic and social instability.

75 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty

In five of the past six years- per capita growth was negative and almost half the workforce is either unemployed or underemployed.

In the American Hemisphere, only Haitians are rated poorer than Nicaraguans.

For Nicaraguans the task will be to choose next Sunday the man they think could best address their most daunting problems.

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