MANAGUA, July 16, 2008 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people marched in Nicaragua's capital Wednesday against leftist President Daniel Ortega and to demand emergency measures to tackle spiraling food prices and rising poverty levels in the country.

'Get him out! Get him out!' demonstrators shouted about Ortega, a former guerrilla leader and strongman who led the country for more than a decade (1979-1990) before he was elected again to power last year for the Sandinista party.

Despite his attempts at improving Nicaragua from being the region's second poorest country behind Haiti, food prices have risen sharply, along with unemployment, and inflation has hit 11.6 percent since the start of the year.

'There's a lot of hunger about. Things are very expensive. I'm out of a job and scrape by doing some cleaning and gardening. But things are getting very tough. That's why we want (Ortega) out,' said housemaker Catalina Sequeira, 40, at the demonstration.

The opposition and social groups that organized the march said some 40,000 people took part, while authorities estimated the crowds at 15,000 to 20,000.

On Tuesday, the Ortega administration said the demonstration was financed by the US Embassy in Managua with the aim of destabilizing the government and benefiting the opposition and the country's oligarchy, who 'despise the poor.'