NICARAGUA’S Sandinista government has defended the arrest of presidential hopeful Miguel Mora on Monday morning, saying the opposition figure was pushing for “military intervention” in the country.

The arrest of Mr Mora — who has previously called for President Daniel Ortega to be assassinated — has been widely reported in Western media as an example of an attempt to stifle democracy.

But Mr Mora is held responsible for inciting the deaths of hundreds of Sandinista supporters during a violent US-backed attempted coup in 2018, in which armed gangs set up road blocks across the country in a bid to strangle the Nicaraguan economy.