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MANAGUA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Nicaraguans will go to the polls on Nov. 6 to vote for a president, a vice-president, deputies for local and central governments, as well as for the Central American Parliament.
With up to 3.8 million Nicaraguans prepare to vote, President Daniel Ortega, from the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), looks set to secure a third term, with a poll this week showing him with a firm lead.
Cairo Amador, a political expert from Del Valle University, told Xinhua that there are expected to be some abstentions, rejecting opposition claims that this election would be a "farce."
The poll by M&R Consultants showed that left-wing Ortega enjoyed 69.8 percent of support, while his right-wing opponent, Maximino Rodriguez, lagged far behind with just 8.1 percent.
This massive gap was less strong but still distinct in other polls, with market research company CID Gallup Latinoamerica showing Ortega had a 52 percent preference.
Amador also rejected the idea that the domination of the FSLN is due to the opposition having been "decapitated" when the Supreme Court banned Ortega's main rival, Eduardo Montealegre, from running.
"The opposition was decapitated internally by themselves. They are not capable of staying together. They put personal interests before the party's and they have no vision for the country," explained the scholar.
Ortega was also criticized for banning international election observers and calling them "shameless", before allowing a team from the Organization of American States (OAS) to be present on the ground.
"The presence of the OAS will allow for all sectors of the country to come together and voice different perspectives on the current political situation...beyond the elections," emphasized Amador.
The government of Nicaragua and the OAS opened negotiations in October to allow electoral negotiators to be present on the ground from Nov. 5 to 8, before, during and after the vote.
