A life in photos: Daniel Ortega from Marxist revolutionary to corporate authoritarian

Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega led a hugely popular left-wing revolution in 1979 against the U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza. But today, university student protesters chant: Ortega and Somoza are "la misma cosa." (the same thing.) We take a look at the evolution of one of Latin America's most enigmatic leaders.

Por:Univision

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Daniel Ortega in 1979, after the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution when he was the leader of National Reconstruction Junta.

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Nicaraguans climb the windows of the cathedral of Managua, next to the National Palace, try to catch sight of the arrival of the National Reconstruction Junta on July 20, 1979 a day after the triumph of the revolution. More than 100,000 people celebrated the victory of the Sandinista revolution in the streets.

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President Jimmy Carter received a Sandinista delegation at the White House: Alfonso Robelo (l), Daniel Ortega (c) and Sergio Ramírez (r), three of the five members of the governing junta. September 24, 1979.

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Daniel Ortega, coordinator of the Military Junta of Nicaragua, visiting Cuba on the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of the Bay of Pigs on April 21, 1981

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Daniel Ortega receives Pope John Paul II in Managua, March 4, 1983. The Pope spoke out against "godless communism" and defended the country's conservative archbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo against five Nicaraguan leftwing priests who held government positions.

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Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega addresses the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on October 2, 1984.

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Mikhail Gorbatchev, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party receives the Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega in Moscow in 1985.

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Daniel Ortega (r) and Sergio Ramírez (l), President and Vice President of Nicaragua, received the President of Cuba, Fidel Castro (c) in Managua. January 11, 1985.

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Fidel Castro (l), President of Cuba, Moamer Kadhafi (c), President of Libya and Daniel Ortega (r), President of Nicaragua, meeting at the summit of the non-aligned countries in Harare, Zimbabwe. September 4, 1986.

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The President of the United States, George W. Bush, meets with the Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, during a presidential summit in San Jose, Costa Rica, Oct 29, 1989. Bush compared Ortega to a skunk "at a garden party" after the Nicaraguan leader threatened to suspend a ceasefire with the U.S.-backed Contra guerrillas.

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, together with Interior Minister Tomas Borge (l) and Defense Minister General Humberto Ortega (r), announcing the expulsion of 20 U.S. diplomats in retaliation for an incident at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama during the U.S. invasion on Panama, December 30, 1989.

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Contra rebels in the mountain village of Destino, Nicaragua, who refused to surrender their weapons to UN peacekeepers, April 26, 1990 as part of peace accords. The Contras said they would not disarm because General Humberto Ortega, brother of former President Daniel Ortega, still had control of the military.

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Daniel Ortega applauds after placing the presidential sash on his opponent Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, in Managua, April 25, 1990. Chamorro pulled off an upset by defeating the Sandinista leader in elections.

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Daniel Ortega preparing to attend a special session of the Sandinista party assembly to discuss the results of the 1996 general elections, where they lost the presidency of the country for a second time.

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Daniel Ortega during the celebration of the 27th anniversary of the triumph of the Sandinista revolution on July 19, 2006. He was in full campaign mode, running again for the presidency of Nicaragua in the November 2006 elections.

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Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo during a rally on October 10, 2006 in Managua. A month later Ortega won the presidency, returning to power after 16 years. Murillo ran as his vice president.

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Daniel Ortega (l) with Univision cameraman Jorge Soliño (c) and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos (r) after an interview in Managua during the 2006 elections.

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Daniel Ortega (c) meeting with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (l) and Violeta Chamorro (r) at her home the day after the 1990 elections in which Chamorro's UNO coalition upset the ruling Sandinista Front. Chamorro was suffering from a knee injury and campaigned on a nurturing, grandmotherly style, advocating for peace after years of war.

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Nicaraguan presidential candidate Daniel Ortega during the ceremony to sign an agreement between the Association of Municipalities of Nicaragua and Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) in Caracas. April 25, 2006.

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Raúl Castro, brother of the president of Cuba, Fidel Castro, along with Daniel Ortega weeks after being elected again president of Nicaragua in 2006, during a military parade in the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana.

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Daniel Ortega, newly elected president of Nicaragua, receives the US Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Thomas Shannon, in Managua, November 28, 2006.

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Daniel Ortega at his inauguration as president of Nicaragua on January 1, 2007. Next to him Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela and Evo Morales, president of Bolivia.

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Daniel Ortega with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Serguei Kisliak, on May 18, 2007 in Managua.

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A student protester holds a sign with the face of Daniel Ortega, with the words "Wanted murderer", May 3, 2018. At least 43 people died during massive protests against a Social Security tax hike by Ortega.

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