As the elections near, politically motivated crimes against Sandinista sympathizers committed by Liberal Alliance supporters are on the rise. In another incident in Boaco, the son of an FSLN vice-mayoral candidate was beaten because he was wearing an FSLN baseball cap. Foreign Minister Presidential candidate Daniel Ortega announced on August 27 that if the FSLN wins the upcoming elections, he will name Mariano Fiallos, former president of the CSE, to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Fiallos emphasized that he would carry out a nonconfrontational foreign policy based on cooperation and friendship, while maintaining Nicaragua's right to express its sovereignty. He was head of the Nicaraguan National Autonomous University in Leon in the 1970's and a member of the Council of State in the early 1980's where he served as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Opinion polls confirm that second round likely.
Most of those interviewed attributed this confidence to the presence of international observers and the impartiality of the Supreme Electoral Council. Violence in north continues. Two members of a rearmed band were killed in a clash with the Army in Rio Blanco on August 29. A military spokesperson reported that violence against both peasants and large producers has escalated during recent months in Rio Blanco and Paiwas. In July and August alone, eight farmers have been kidnaped by armed bands demanding high ransoms.