MANAGUA, Nov 7: Claiming to have left behind his radical past, former Nicaraguan revolutionary leader Daniel Ortega overcame stiff US opposition to apparently recapture the country's presidency he lost in 1990, a partial vote count indicated on Tuesday.

The iconic Sandinista leader and Cold War foe of Washington ran against fierce opposition from US officials while enjoying an endorsement from the virulently anti-US Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Results based on 62 percent of polling stations showed Ortega getting 38.6 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, easily defeating conservatives Eduardo Montealegre and Jose Rizo, who got 30.9 percent and 22.9 percent respectively.

A projection by Ethics and Transparency also showed Ortega comfortably surpassing the 35 percent needed to win the election outright in the first round, with a nine-point lead over Washington-favoured financier Montealegre.—AFP