divimg alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/13490?ns=guardianpageName=World+news%3A+Fresh+violence+feared+after+Ortega+accused+of+vote+riggingch=World+newsc3=guardian.co.ukc4=World+newsc5=Not+commercially+usefulc6=Rory+Carrollc7=2008_11_20c8=1121399c9=articlec10=GUc11=World+newsc12=c13=c14=h2=GU%2FWorld+news%2F" width="1" height="1" //divpNicaragua hovered on the brink of fresh clashes tonight after disputed election results triggered a week of violent chaos. Supporters of the Sandinista government patrolled the capital, Managua, with rocks and clubs to deter the opposition from mobilising in the streets./ppOpposition leaders accused the country's president, Daniel Ortega, of rigging November 9 local elections in favour of Sandinista candidates and reviving authoritarianism in the impoverished central American nation./ppSandinista supporters armed with machetes, rocks and home-made mortars snuffed out opposition protests earlier this week, leaving dozens injured. For much of the trouble police were notably absent./ppA tense calm descended on the capital when the opposition withdrew from the fray and vowed to challenge the results in the national assembly, setting the scene for weeks of political wrangling and fears of renewed flare-ups. /ppMany shops in Managua remained boarded up today./ppA spokesman for Ortega, who has remained hidden from view during the crisis, accused opponents of refusing to recognise a legitimate government victory and trying to destabilise its pro-poor, leftist programme./ppAccording to preliminary results the Sandinistas won 106 of 146 municipalities, including the big prize, Managua. It was Ortega's first electoral test since reclaiming power in November 2006. /ppThe opposition leader, Eduardo Montealegre, who narrowly lost to Ortega in the presidential election two years ago, failed this time in his attempt to become the mayor of the capital. He won 46% against the Sandinista, Alexis Argüello, a former boxing world champion, who gained 51%./ppMontealegre, a Harvard-educated economist who was supported by the Catholic church and business leaders, claimed widespread fraud had robbed him of victory. "This fight isn't about the Managua mayoralty. It's more fundamental," he told the New York Times. "It's about dictatorship versus democracy." /ppSimilar accusations were made about the second city of Leon, where the Sandinista candidate was declared the winner despite ballots being found in a municipal dump. /ppGovernment officials did not return calls seeking comment./ppThe electoral tribunal, which is perceived to be pro-government, has agreed to recount some of the votes and is expected to give final results early next month. Foreign observers were not permitted to monitor the poll, nor will they be allowed monitor the recount./ppSandinista supporters have stayed on the streets to demand official recognition of their "triumphant victory"./ppSince returning to power Ortega, a darling of the international left when battling US-backed Contra rebels, has lost the support of numerous high-profile intellectuals and artists./pdiv class="guRssAdvert"a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yessite=Newscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227201977884112017282542753"img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yessite=Newscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227201977884112017282542753" border="0" //a/diva href="http://www.guardian.co.uk"guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html"Terms Conditions/a | a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html"More Feeds/a