Large-scale protests against his presidency have plunged the country into turmoil and led to hundreds of deaths. To his supporters, he remains a true patriot; they call him Comandante Daniel, with a mix of reverence and affection. Some have taken to the streets in his name, forming brutal paramilitary gangs to crack down on any signs of dissent.
His critics, who include many former allies, say he has become a corrupt and authoritarian ruler, turning his back on his revolutionary ideals and coming to resemble the dictator he deposed. They have also taken to the streets; some peacefully, some throwing homemade mortars. The group was fighting against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, whose family had ruled the country since In the s, the young Ortega dropped out of a law course to fully commit to the cause.
While still in his twenties, he held up a branch of Bank of America in the capital, Managua, with a machine gun, in a bid to raise funds. He was arrested and severely tortured during seven years in jail. In , he secured an early release - along with other Sandinistas - in exchange for hostages. The deal involved him being sent to Cuba, but he used this as a chance to train in guerrilla warfare and then snuck back into his homeland, where the peasant-led uprising was about to turn into a full-scale civil war.
The Sandinistas took power in , forcing President Somoza into exile. Mr Ortega was elected as his successor in , after serving on the Sandinista's five-member "national reconstruction" board. Why did the US want to stop him? Most international observers recognised the election as generally free and fair, despite opposition complaints. However, US President Ronald Reagan dismissed it as a "sham" and stepped up his support for armed counter-revolutionary groups known as Contras.
This was the height of the Cold War, and Washington saw the Sandinistas as a front for Soviet and Cuban-style communism and a threat to US-backed governments throughout Central America. Despite having made important gains, particularly in health, education and land reform, the first Sandinista government came under criticism for economic failures. The impact of the Contra war and US sanctions made economic reconstruction impossible.
Ortega's shrewd politics, combined with his skill at ruthlessly cornering opponents, have allowed him to retain control of the FSLN, which he joined in Born in the mining village of La Libertad, Ortega ditched his law studies to join the guerrillas. Known for her fiery speeches laced with biblical and esoteric references she preaches "love and reconciliation" while in the same breath branding the opposition "blood-thirsty vampires.
As Ortega has retreated from the spotlight, his "loyal companion" -- with whom he has seven children, one of them adopted -- has taken his place. A ceaseless worker, a poet who speaks fluent English and French, and given to wearing colorful clothes and jewelry reminiscent of the hippie s, Murillo always acted outside the confines of a traditional first lady. Her first government role was as a self-appointed communicator-in-chief, making sure no other ministers spoke or acted without her permission.
She has imposed her eccentric taste on the capital Managua by ordering the erection of several tall metal "trees of life" painted different colors and lit up at night. Karina Revilla. Lila Filipovska. Celebrities Born in Nicaragua. Samuel Santos Lopez Diplomat.
Daniela Torres de la montana Beauty Pageant Contestant. Alfredo Gomez Urcuyo Politician. Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Journalist. William Aguirre Athlete. Donald Vega Pianist. Part of the Sandinista governing junta, he would go on to win the presidency in open elections in , later losing a re-election bid to Violeta Chamorro of the National Opposition Union in He was reelected in , and became a popular leader, relying on Venezuelan oil to fund welfare programs. In he passed a set of constitutional amendments, approved by the FSLN-dominated National Assembly, to abolish term limits.
This allowed him to be reelected in Still, there are no signs that Ortega will yield to international pressure during a possible third term.
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