This handout picture of Nicaragua's incumbent president and presidential candidate Daniel Ortega (right) speaking next to his wife and Vice-president Rosario Murillo during a broadcast television message regarding the general election, in Managua, Nicaragua, Nov 07, 2021. (CESAR PEREZ / NICARAGUAN PRESIDENCY / AFP)

SAN JOSE – Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega easily locked in a fourth consecutive term after suppressing political rivals, results showed on Monday, leading the United States to warn of possible sanctions and press for free and fair elections.

Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council said that with nearly all the ballots counted, a preliminary tally had Ortega's Sandinista alliance winning with about 76 percent of votes.

Election observers from the European Union and the Organization of American States were not allowed to scrutinize the process and journalists were barred from entering Nicaragua.

Ortega hailed the election as a victory delivered by the "immense majority of Nicaraguans"

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his country will work with other democratic governments and was ready to use a range of tools, including possible sanctions, visa restrictions and coordinated actions against those it said were complicit in supporting the Nicaragua government's "undemocratic acts."

A statement by all 27 EU members accused Ortega of "systematic incarceration, harassment and intimidation" of opponents, journalists and activists.

The elections "complete the conversion of Nicaragua into an autocratic regime," the EU said. Chile, Costa Rica, Spain and Britain called for detained opposition leaders to be freed.

READ MORE: Nicaragua's Ortega seeks reelection with opponents in jail

On Sunday, Ortega – the longest-serving leader in the Americas – hailed the election as a victory delivered by the "immense majority of Nicaraguans."

Cuba, Venezuela and Russia all offered him their backing.

Nicaraguan citizens protest against President Daniel Ortega in San Jose, Costa Rica, Nov 7, 2021. (JAVIER CORDOBA / AP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said US calls for countries not to recognize the outcome were "unacceptable."

Mexico's foreign ministry said it would not comment on the election until official results were posted.

READ MORE: 5 govt critics jailed as political crisis in Nicaragua deepens

Ortega's victory consolidates the increasingly repressive political model he has built in recent years along with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.

A motorcyclist rides past a mural of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, left, and revolutionary hero Cesar Augusto Sandino during general elections in Managua, Nicaragua, Nov 7, 2021. (ANDRES NUNES / AP)

A former Marxist rebel who helped topple the right-wing Somoza family dictatorship in the late 1970s, Ortega says he is defending Nicaragua against unscrupulous adversaries bent on ousting him with the aid of foreign powers. 

Five candidates ran against him.

Nicaragua's electoral authority said turnout was 65 percent.

In the 1980s, Ortega served a single term as president before being voted out. He returned to the top job in 2007.