Among other activities, d‘Escoto had publicly expressed his support for the Sandinista National Liberation Front and, after the Sandinistas took office in 1979, d‘Escoto became minister for foreign affairs until 1990 under Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega. After the defeat of the Sandinistas in the 1990 elections, d‘Escoto continued to be active politically and in June 2008 was elected president of the United Nations General Assembly.