for the news junkies

There´s a lot going on in Nicaraguan politics and economy at the moment. Here´s the Cliff´s notes...

1. There´s an important presidential election in November, the campaigning for which has begun in earnest, with TV, radio, and press coverage saturating the country beginning this past week. Daniel Ortega and a businessman named Montealegre are neck and neck in the current polls, but there are 2 other candidates, and you only need 35% of the vote to win.

2. There´s a serious energy crisis here that has provoked riots, violence, and media outrage on the editorial page over the last 2 weeks. Even the hospitals and critical public services have been without electricity for large portions of the day lately.

3. On the public health front, there´s a social debate intensifying in Nicaragua over the right to an abortion. Public opinion here is majority pro-life at the moment due to the Catholic church, but an advertising campaign is in full swing to convince women to think differently.