MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez forecasts Sandinista victory in Nicaragua

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez forecasted a former Sandinista guerrilla leader's victory in Nicaragua's presidential election next November 5.

"Daniel, I'm going to invite you to come to Venezuela as Nicaragua's elected president next December 17, so we can honour Liberator Simon Bolivar, you as elected president an I as re-elected president", said Chavez during a Sunday broadcast in Caracas next to Ortega.

However President Chavez also admitted that from now on he will be accused of getting "involved in Nicaragua's home affairs" for openly supporting his good friend Daniel Ortega who already ruled from 1985 to 1990.

"I'm not going to say I hope you win, because they'll begin saying I'm interfering in Nicaragua's internal affairs. I'm not going to say you'll win, but I do hope you win", Venezuelan president said ironically.

Chavez underlined that Ortega was a guerrilla leader, who was imprisoned and became president with the downfall of Dictator Anastasio Somoza, but then "things happened" which led to the left wing Sandinista group to loose influence and be defeated by Conservative Violeta Chamorro.

The Venezuelan president also announced the signing of several agreements with town councils in Nicaragua under the control of the Sandinista Front, in the framework of the "Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas" (ALBA) a hemispheric integration project which openly competes with the US sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas.

Venezuelan presidential election is scheduled for December 3, this year. President Chavez has been repeatedly accused of meddling in other countries affairs particularly his open support for presidential candidates such as Evo Morales in Bolivia and Ollanta Humala in Peru. Colombia at one time also claimed that Venezuela was sympathetic to Marxist oriented guerrillas fighting "Colombian oligarchy", and closed an eye to these groups using border territories as havens.