In Nicaragua, Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega appears set to return to power despite efforts by the Bush administration to help his opponents. With more than half the vote counted, Ortega has about 39 percent of the vote in a five-way race. It is unclear if the Bush administration will challenge the fairness of the vote. On Monday the U.S. State Department claimed there were a number of procedural problems in the election including delays in opening polling places, long lines and stations closing while there were still voters in line. But Gustavo Fernandez, an election observer from the Organization for American States said the vote went smoothly.

• Gustavo Fernandez: “The quality of yesterday’s election permits us to say that they were peaceful, massive and organized and legal.”