Managua, September 12 (RHC)-- The President of the National Assembly of Nicaragua, Rene Nuñez Tellez, died on Saturday at a hospital in Costa Rica where he was receiving medical treatment for a lung condition.

The 69-year-old Sandinista was a candidate for re-election under the Sandinista National Liberation Front, the FSLN, in the upcoming November elections.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega declared three days of mourning, in which Nicaraguan flags will fly at half-mast at all public buildings in the country, according to the decree signed by the president.

Daniel Ortega praised Rene Nuñez's commitment to the cause of the Sandinistas before and after the overthrow of the Somoza dynasty, and praised his legacy.

The executive decree on his death calls Nuñez a "tireless fighter for the welfare and progress of Nicaraguan families toward justice, peace and prosperity."

It also recalls his role in the ranks of the Sandinista National Liberation Front "as a guerrilla member who suffered persecution, imprisonment and torture."

"Leading the National Assembly, he promoted dialogue and consensus (...) and worked to modernize and equip the National Assembly with innovative tools to increase capacity and better serve the people of Nicaragua," said the decree.

Nuñez began his parliamentary career as a member of the National Assembly in 2002 and became president of the institution in 2005. In the 1980s, Nunez was secretary of the National Directorate of the FSLN and was a member of the Sandinista National Council, considered the highest structure of the political party.