Nicaraguans Salvador Stadthagen, ambassador to the United States, and Jose Luis Velazquez Pereira, ambassador to the Organization of American States, will discuss the significance of their country's forthcoming elections Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in Lewis Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall. The talk is free and open to the public.

For the first time in Nicaragua's electoral history, four viable parties are competing for the presidency and 92 assembly seats in the country's Nov. 5 election. Current polling shows a close race between Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and Eduardo Montealegre of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance to succeed President Enrique Bolaos.

Stadthagen has been Nicaraguan ambassador since 2003. During his tenure in Washington, he has been active in promoting his country's participation in the Central America Free Trade Agreement. Velazquez is the author of several works on revolutionary movements in Nicaragua and often lectures on his country's political situation.

This event is sponsored by: Cornell chapter of Bridges to Community; College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Cornell Institute for Public Affairs; Department of Government; Jerome Holland International Living Center; and the Latin American Studies Program. For more information, contact Treva Levine at (607) 255-1468 or tlv4@cornell.edu.