| Six months before the 1979 Nicaragua presidential | | | | different, especially given that 90 percent of the |
| election, the shelves in Managua stores began to | | | | nation turned out for the 2006 elections? Ten |
| empty. People ran out of some fairly basic | | | | years of Civil War is not easily forgotten by |
| supplies. Business and foreign investment all but | | | | many of those who lost everything including |
| dried up. International organizations closed their | | | | family members. |
| doors as the perceived presence of Daniel | | | | "Ortega has no wish to be responsible for the loss |
| Ortega's Sandinistas loomed large on the political | | | | of the huge momentum that we've established," |
| horizon. | | | | said Gonzalez, now president of residential |
| During the Sandinista Revolution of 1979, many | | | | property developer Grupo del Sol ( "He |
| private properties were confiscated by the | | | | understands that it will do him no good to screw it |
| government. Armel Gonzalez, then 17, | | | | up and he knows the people would not go along |
| remembers that his family and friends lost | | | | with it. He wants to make amends, not a |
| everything. His memories, and those of a | | | | revolution." |
| generation of Nicaraguans, still are vivid. | | | | Ortega's campaign platform was to continue the |
| "So many of us were broken, lost, homesick," | | | | economic prosperity through foreign investment |
| Gonzalez said. "Going through what we did then, | | | | and tourism. He has promised to respect private |
| there's no way I thought we could ever get to | | | | property, one of the reasons the real estate and |
| where we are now." | | | | tourism industries supported his bid for office. His |
| Where Gonzalez and his fellow countrymen are | | | | government will not only be checked in Parliament |
| today is the antithesis of 1979. The nation has | | | | by the opposition, but also several of his key |
| enjoyed peace and the constitutional democracy | | | | cabinet members will be former contras and |
| for more than 16 years and appears to be | | | | current liberals. Look closely on a map, and you |
| continuing down the same serene track despite | | | | will see that Nicaragua's southern border touches |
| the re-emergence of Ortega, who was re-elected | | | | one of the most popular regions for second |
| as president in November, 2006. Ortega has | | | | homes in Central America - the province of |
| reconciled with former enemies and former | | | | Guanacaste in Costa Rica, which geographically lies |
| commanders of the right-wing contra army who | | | | closer to Nicaragua's capital (Managua) than Costa |
| fought to overthrow him in the 1980s. In fact, the | | | | Rica's capital (San Jose). Travel to Nicaragua and |
| home Ortega had expropriated during his previous | | | | wait for the surprises to begin. It is a stunningly |
| term belonged to banker Jaime Morales. For | | | | beautiful country with lush tropical forests and |
| years, Ortega and his comrades used it in | | | | miles of sandy beaches. The beachfront area is |
| strategy meetings during the war against the | | | | just now beginning to take off, and it is |
| contras. Morales is now Ortega's vice-president. | | | | affectionately referred to as "Costa Rica 20 |
| Talk about a turnaround... | | | | years ago". |
| So what changed this time? What was so | | | | |