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An inability of the Sandanistas to defeat the Contras caused Ortega to call the first free and open elections in Nicaragua since the Communists seized power for 1990.  Although he was heavily favored to win, in a shocking turn of events he was defeated in an election for the Presidency of Nicaragua by [[Violetta Chamorro]] in 1990.  Ortega stepped down with the defeat, but left much of his power structure behind that would make it difficult for the new government.

An inability of the Sandanistas to defeat the Contras caused Ortega to call the first free and open elections in Nicaragua since the Communists seized power for 1990.  Although he was heavily favored to win, in a shocking turn of events he was defeated in an election for the Presidency of Nicaragua by [[Violetta Chamorro]] in 1990.  Ortega stepped down with the defeat, but left much of his power structure behind that would make it difficult for the new government.

Ortega never completely left the political scene and ran and lost again for President in 1996 and 2001, but 16 years later after his initial defeat, he became president of Nicaragua again, this time democratically, after winning the election held on November 5th, 2006.  He was aided by a change to the rules that a candidate only needed 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff instead of the previous 45%.  He campaigned as the candidate of peace and that land grabbing and attacking the church would no longer be a part of his future as it was his past.<ref>Max Blumenthal, "The Kinder, Gentler Daniel Ortega," http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070205/blumenthal</ref>

Ortega never completely left the political scene and ran and lost again for President in 1996 and 2001, but 16 years later after his initial defeat, he became president of Nicaragua again, this time democratically, after winning the election held on November 5th, 2006.  He was aided by a change to the rules that a candidate only needed 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff instead of the previous 45%.  He campaigned as the candidate of peace and that land grabbing and attacking the church would no longer be a part of his future as it was his past.<ref>Max Blumenthal, "The Kinder, Gentler Daniel Ortega," http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070205/blumenthal</ref>