The Organization of American States (OAS)'s observer mission in Nicaragua said in a statement on Sunday that it "regretted" the US intervention in Nicaragua's presidential election campaign.

"The future of Nicaragua's political institutions should depend only on the decision of the people of this nation," the OAS mission said.

The OAS statement came after two recent public statements by US officials that appeared to support Eduardo Montealegre, a candidate from the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance-Conservative Party coalition.

On Thursday last week, the US trade minister, Carlos Gutierrez, told Nicaraguan press that if Daniel Ortega, candidate from the Sandinista National Liberation Front party, were to win the Nov. 5 election, it would put US investments in Nicaragua atrisk.

On Saturday, US ambassador in Nicaragua, Paul Trivelli, told media that a vote for the Liberal Constitutionalist Party's candidate was effectively a vote for Ortega.

Trivelli had previously tried to form a coalition that included all of the country's right-wing parties, in a bid to strengthen the anti-Ortega force.

The OAS has now complained twice about political interference in the election. In a Sept. 25 statement the organization said "other nations" should not interfere.

The OAS's first statement came after Dan Burton, a US Republican lawmaker, made public statements in Nicaragua alleging that Ortega's party controlled the nation's Supreme Electoral Council.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2006)