Montealegre Announces 2011 Presidential Pre-Candidacy

Opposition leader Eduardo Montealegre this week announced his intention to participate in next year’s opposition presidential primaries on behalf of his “Vamos Con Eduardo” political movement.

Montealegre, who finished runner-up to President Daniel Ortega in the 2006 elections, said he is ready for next year’s primaries, where he will face-off against former President Arnoldo Alemán and other yet-to-be-named presidential hopefuls vying for the candidacy of the unified opposition ticket.

In addition to losing the 2006 presidential elections, Montealegre also tried unsuccessfully to run for mayor of Managua in 2008. He lost in an election that many thought was stolen by the Sandinistas.

Though Montealegre has been very critical of Alemán for proclaming his candidacy earlier this month at a party rally of the Liberal Constitutional Party (PLC), he essentially did the same thing in declaring his pre-candidacy in a similar political rally among his supporters July 25.

The Liberal primaries are scheduled to be held March 6 of next year, though many doubts remain as to whether the process will unify or further divide the opposition.