Ortega and Murillo, the presidential couple with an iron grip on Nicaragua

FILE PHOTO: A man checks his phone while walking by a banner promoting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo as presidential election campaigning begins, in Managua, Nicaragua, September 25, 2021. REUTERS/Maynor Valenzuela/File Photo

(Reuters) - When Daniel Ortega lost Nicaragua's presidential election to Violeta Chamorro in 1990, the defeat left a deep mark on the leftist leader. Battling 16 years to regain the presidency, his opponents say he is now determined to retain power at any cost.

Recent years have borne that out. In April 2018, after mass street protests against Ortega's rule put his presidency in jeopardy, the former Marxist guerrilla sent in the police and paramilitary forces to crush the protesters.