Missions Minded

As America catches up on sleep after election night, I want to give you a preview of the big day at the polls for Nicaragua…coming up on Sunday!

It’s not a presidential election year, but alcalde elections are taking place across the country. “Alcalde” is Spanish for mayor, but this position is actually more like mayor, governor, and future presidential candidate (at least for the Managua alcalde) rolled into one. It’s important. I’ve pulled biographical information on the two major candidates in Managua…

Alexis Argüello - Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN)

Alexis Argüello is a former professional Nicaraguan boxer and three time World champion. “The Explosive Thin Man,” as he was known, lost his first professional fight in 1968, but then won 36 of his next 38 bouts, which then led him to a world Featherweight championship bout, which he lost in a 15-round unanimous decision. Undaunted, Argüello began another streak of wins, and found himself in a title fight again, this time emerging victorious as the new Featherweight champion of the world. Argüello defended this title a few times, then moved up in weight and won the Junior Lightweight belt. He then moved up in weight again and won the world Lightweight championship, becoming only the sixth boxer to win world titles in three divisions, and the second Latin American to do it.

During the 1980s Argüello briefly fought with the Contras in his native Nicaragua, but after a few months in the jungle he retired from the war. He then attempted several comebacks into boxing during the late 1980s and early 1990s and had some success. He retired for good in 1995 with 82 wins, 65 by knockout, and 8 losses. Argüello was elected to the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 1992. In 2008 he was honored by being selected as Nicaragua’s flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Today Argüello is involved in politics. In 2004 he was elected vice-mayor of Managua under the banner of the Sandinista National Liberation Front — the same party against whom he took up arms in the 1980s. Argüello hopes to move from vice-mayor to the mayor’s seat of capital city Managua in the upcoming election. (I couldn’t find Argüello’s campaign website, but here is the official FSLN English-version website.)

Eduardo Montealegre - Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC)

Eduardo Montealegre was born in Nicaragua’s capital Managua. He received a degree in economics from Brown University in 1976 and an MBA with a focus in finance and strategic planning from Harvard University in 1980. He later became a businessman in Nicaragua.

Montealegre served as minister to the presidency in 1998 under Arnoldo Alemán. He also served as foreign minister from 1999 to 2000 in the government of Arnoldo Alemán and as finance minister from 2002 to 2003 in the government of the next President Enrique Bolaños. Subsequently, he served as minister to the presidency of Enrique Bolaños.

He announced his split from the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) in protest of the control of the party by former President Alemán, currently serving a 20-year sentence for misappropriation of funds. Montealegre objects to an alliance, referred to in the popular media as “El Pacto”, between Arnoldo Alemán and Daniel Ortega, who ran as the candidate of the FSLN in 2006 for the fourth consecutive time since his 1985-1990 presidency.

Under the banner of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN) — as a spin-off of the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC) and in alliance with other liberal parties and the Conservative Party — Montealegre lost the 2006 presidentail election, finishing in second place after Daniel Ortega, receiving 28 percent of the vote.

After losing control of the leadership of the ALN in 2008, Montealegre agreed to run for mayor of Managua as a candidate of his former party, the PLC, in an alliance of opposition parties against the Ortega-led Sandinistas. Here is Eduardo’s campaign website.

Check back here on Monday for results from this exciting, important election in Nicaragua. And no matter who wins, thank you for your prayers for the people of Nicaragua and for its leaders!