President of Nicaragua in the context of "Contras"

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⭐ Core Definition: President of Nicaragua

The co-presidents of Nicaragua (Spanish: co-presidentes de Nicaragua), officially known as the Presidency of the Republic of Nicaragua (Presidencia de la República de Nicaragua), are the dual head of state and government of Nicaragua. The office was first created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until the Constitution of 1839, the head of state of Nicaragua was simply styled as Head of State (Jefe de Estado), and from 1839 to 1854 as Supreme Director (Supremo Director).

In 2025, the Constitution of Nicaragua was amended to allow the powers of the presidency to be exercised by two co-presidents rather than a single person. A male and female co-president are elected by universal suffrage to a six-year term. When the amendment was passed, incumbent president Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice-president Rosario Murillo were declared inaugural co-presidents, making Nicaragua the only country in the world currently ruled by a spousal diarchy. Ortega had previously served as president since 2007.

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👉 President of Nicaragua in the context of Contras

The Contras (Spanish: La contrarrevolución, lit. 'the counter-revolution') were the anti-communist right-wing rebels who waged a guerilla war against the Marxist Sandinista National Liberation Front and the Junta of National Reconstruction, which came to power after the Nicaraguan Revolution in 1979. The Contras war against the Sandinista government lasted from 1979 until 1990 and was one of the highest profile conflicts of the Cold War.

Following the Nicaraguan Revolution in 1979, which led to the fall of Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Nicaragua's president by the Sandinistas, various groups were formed in opposition to the Sandinistas, including by Samoza allies and former members of the National Guard, and also by Anti-Somozistas' groups whom had previously been aligned with and fought alongside the Sandinistas. The United States and several other countries provided military assistance and financial aid to the Contras. In 1981, the CIA and Argentina's Secretariat of Intelligence persuaded several Contra groups to unite into the larger Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN).

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President of Nicaragua in the context of Junta of National Reconstruction

The Junta of National Reconstruction (Spanish: Junta de Gobierno de Reconstrucción Nacional) was the provisional government of Nicaragua from the fall of the President Somoza in July 1979 until January 1985, with the election of Daniel Ortega (FSLN) as president of Nicaragua.

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President of Nicaragua in the context of Daniel Ortega

José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (/ɔːrˈteɪɡə/ or-TAY-gə, Spanish: [daˈnjel oɾˈteɣa]; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician who has been the co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the president of Nicaragua from 1985 to 1990 and from 2007 to 2025. He previously led Nicaragua as the first coordinator of the Junta of National Reconstruction from 1979 to 1985. Ortega leads an authoritarian government, and has been regularly described as a dictator by the international community.

Ortega came to prominence with the overthrow and exile of US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979 during the Nicaraguan Revolution. As a leader in the Sandinista National Liberation Front (Spanish: Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) Ortega became leader of the ruling Junta of National Reconstruction. A Marxist–Leninist, Ortega pursued a program of nationalization, land reform, wealth redistribution, and literacy programs during his first period in office. Ortega's government was responsible for the forced displacement of 10,000 indigenous people. In 1984, Ortega won Nicaragua's presidential election with over 60% of the vote as the FSLN's candidate. During his first term, he implemented policies to achieve leftist reforms across Nicaragua. Throughout the 1980s, Ortega's government faced a rebellion by US-backed rebels, known as the Contras. After a presidency marred by conflict and economic collapse, Ortega was defeated in the 1990 Nicaraguan general election by Violeta Chamorro.

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President of Nicaragua in the context of Zelaya Department

Zelaya was a department in Nicaragua. The department was located along the Mosquito Coast bordering the Caribbean Sea and was named after former President of Nicaragua José Santos Zelaya, who conquered the region for Nicaragua from the Mosquito Coast, then a British protectorate and indigenous monarchy, in 1894. The capital was Bluefields.

In 1987 it was divided into two autonomous regions:

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Junta of National Reconstruction ← Daniel Ortega ← Contras ← Zelaya Department
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Spanish language → Heads of state → Head of government → Nicaragua → Constitution of Nicaragua → Daniel Ortega → Rosario Murillo → Diarchy →