Nicaragua has elected a husband and wife as President and Vice-president, with former Sandinista guerrilla Daniel Ortega winning a third consecutive term as President and his wife Rosario as Vice President. They were sworn in today.

The 65-year-old Ms Rosario is the official government spokesman, preventing anyone else from speaking on behalf of the ruling authority.

After losing the 1990 election, Mr Ortega threatened to fade into history, but the former fighter managed to orchestrate a return to power when he became president in the 2006 election.

He met Rosario when they were both guerrilla fighters, hiding out in Costa Rica. She already had two children, and her oldest daughter, Zoilamerica, was adopted by Mr Ortega in her late teens. Shew had seven other children with Mr Ortega.