Nicaragua's unfinished revolution

On July 19, 1979, the Sandinista revolution removed what many considered to be one of Latin America's most brutal dictatorships. Thirty years later, and with the Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega once again in power, Lucia Newman visited Nicaragua and found that many of the revolution's promises have remained unfulfilled. Nicaragua is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution, which overthrew one of Central America's most corrupt and brutal regimes with the pledge of democracy and freedom, and propelled Ortega to international recognition. Today, it is hard to walk round the streets of Managua, the Nicaraguan capital, without being greeted by his beaming visage; he has been an integral part of the country's political scene for the past three decades. But his ubiquitous image on anniversary posters is at odds with a president who has shied away from public appearances and interviews since being sworn in for a second stint as president in January 2007. Changing colours His critics say he has now actually turned his back on many of the socialist promises made during the revolution.