Nicaraguans head to polls

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Millions of Nicaraguans went to the polls Sunday, capping a presidential election in which former Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega held a commanding lead.

Polls opened early Sunday morning with an estimated 2.8 million people set to choose a roster of candidates led by former President Ortega, who polls show has garnered nearly enough support to win the first round and avoid the necessity of holding a runoff.

Some U.S. officials have balked at the notion of Ortega's return, saying the leftist Sandinista would lead the Central American country to the kind of economic ruin Nicaragua experienced during its protracted war between the Sandinistas and U.S-backed contras in the 1980s.