U.S. prepares sanctions, pressure on Nicaragua after election -officials

FILE PHOTO: A man, wearing a face mask for protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks by a mural depicting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in Managua, Nicaragua March 30, 2020. REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration is prepared to impose further sanctions and ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government following elections set for this Sunday, senior U.S. officials said.

Escalating U.S. criticism of Ortega as he is firmly favored to win a fourth consecutive term, a senior State Department official said on Friday that Washington sees the vote as ushering in a "dictatorship" in the Central American nation.