Former revolutionary Daniel Ortega returned to power in Nicaragua hours after his leftist ally Hugo Chavez was sworn in for another six years in Venezuela, sparking triumphant celebrations in which Latin America's top leftists promised to unite in favor of the poor and against US influence in the region.
Appearing in Managua late on Wednesday before thousands of cheering supporters, Ortega, Cha-vez and Bolivian President Evo Morales called for the quick recovery of Cuba's ailing Fidel Castro and pledged to form a coalition of leftist leaders who would fight to nationalize natural resources.
Castro's health prevented him from attending, but Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, one of the Cuban revolution's oldest surviving leaders, said the Cuban leader sent his "utmost support."
Chavez promised "socialism or death!" during a fiery speech early on Wednesday in Caracas, where he took the oath of office for another six-year term. He then flew to Nicaragua to attend Ortega's inauguration, a ceremony that returned the former US foe to the presidency nearly 17 years after he lost power.
In a rousing speech before thousands late on Wednesday, the three called for a united, leftist front.
"With unity there is strength," Ortega said. "With unity comes victory."
Before taking office, Ortega promised to respect private property and business and maintain relations with Washington, which backed a rebel insurgency aimed at toppling him in the 1980s. None of those promises made their way into his inaugural speech.
It was his growing friendship with Chavez that was apparent on Wednesday.
The Venezuelan leader said his "heart was overflowing with joy" to see Nicaragua in the hands of Ortega. He gave the Nicaraguan leader a golden replica of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar's sword, and called for his allies to "unite our swords to bring justice and freedom to our people."
Morales, for his part, welcomed Ortega to the growing club of Latin leftists.
"We have three, four five commanders who will liberate Latin America," Morales said.
Wearing his signature white, button-down shirt, the cuffs rolled up his elbows, Ortega took the oath of office at a plaza he constructed as president in the 1980s -- the same place where he conceded electoral defeat to Violeta Chamorro in 1990 after a turbulent decade marked by food rationing and US-backed rebel insurgency.
Today, US President George W. Bush and Chavez are fighting for influence in this former Cold War battleground, both promising aid while pushing vastly different prescriptions to cure what ails the second-poorest country in the hemisphere.
Chavez has promised low interest loans to Nicaragua's poor and more than 30 electricity plants for the energy-starved, Central American nation. He was expected to outline details of his aid yesterday.
The highest-ranking US official at the inauguration was Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who met Ortega on Tuesday and offered to build a regional training center for health workers.
Ortega led Nicaragua throughout the 1980s after his Sandinista rebel movement pushed out dictator Anastasio Somoza. Following his 1990 loss, he ran for president three consecutive times, losing twice before finally claiming victory in November.
The 61-year-old Ortega is not the same fiery revolutionary who allied with the Soviet Union and fought off a US-backed Contra rebel insurgency.
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