Government & politics — Nicaragua

Nicarao was the name of the largest indigenous settlement at the time of Spanish arrival; conquistador Gil GONZALEZ Davila, who explored the area (1622-23), combined the name of the community with the Spanish word "agua" (water), referring to the two large lakes in the west of the country (Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua)

• history: several previous; latest adopted 19 November 1986,
• effective 9 January 1987 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or assent of at least half of the National Assembly membership; passage requires approval by 60% of the membership of the next elected Assembly and promulgation by the president of the republic; amended several times, last in 2021

• chief of state: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Rosario MURILLO Zambrana (since 10 January 2017); note - the president is
• both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice Presi
• dent Rosario MURILLO Zambrana (since 10 January 2017) cabinet: Council o
• f Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified plurality vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 7 Novemb
• er 2021 (next to be held on 1 November 2026) election results: 2021: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a fourth consecutive term; percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 75.9%, Walter ESPINOZA (PLC) 14.3%, Guillermo OSORNO (CCN) 3.3%, Marcelo MONTIEL (ALN) 3.1%, other 3.4% 2016: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a third consecutive term; percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 72.4%, Maximino RODRIGUEZ (PLC) 15%, Jose del Carmen ALVARADO (PLI) 4.5%, Saturnino CERRATO Hodgson (ALN) 4.3%, other 3.7%

Description

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 statutory seats, current 91; 70 members in multi-seat constituencies, representing the country's 15 departments and 2 autonomous regions, and 20 members in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by party-list proportional representation vote; up to 2 seats reserved for the previous president and the runner-up candidate in the previous presidential election; members serve 5-year terms)

Elections

last held on 7 November 2021 (next to be held on 1 November 2026)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - FSLN 75, PLC 10, ALN 2, APRE 1, PLI 2, YATAMA 1;

Composition

men 45, women 46, percent of women 50.6%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 16 judges organized into administrative, civil, criminal, an
• d constitutional chambers) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges elected by the Nationa
• l Assembly to serve 5-year staggered terms subordinate courts: Appeals Court; first instance civil, criminal, and labor courts; military courts are independent of the Supreme Court

15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonoma); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Costa Caribe Norte*, Costa Caribe Sur*, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

• Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Carlos CANALES]
• Alternative for Change or AC (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) [Orlando Jose TARDENCILLA]
• Autonomous Liberal Party or PAL [Rene Margarito BELLO ROMERO]
• Caribbean Unity Movement or PAMUC [Armando Francisco ARISTA FLORES]
• Christian Unity Party or PUC (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) [Guillermo Daniel ORTEGA REYES]
• Citizens for Liberty or CxL [Carmella ROGERS AUMBURN]
• Note: barred from participating in the presidential election by the Supreme Electoral Council on 6 August 2021 Conservative Party or PC [Alfredo CESAR Aguirre] Democratic Restoration Party or PRD [Saturnino CERRATO];

• yes dual citizenship recognized: no, except in cases where bilate
• ral agreements exist residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years

BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Kevin Michael O'REILLY (since 28 June 2023) embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: 3240 Managua Place, Washington DC 20521-3240

telephone

[505] 2252-7100,

FAX

[505] 2252-7250

Email address and website

• ACS.Managua@state.gov
• https://ni.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires M. Lautaro SANDINO Montes (since 23 February 2024)

chancery

1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone

[1] (202) 939-6570

FAX

[1] (202) 939-6545

Email address and website

• mperalta@cancilleria.gob.ni

consulate(s) general

Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco