Violeta Chamorro
Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro (18 October 1929 – 14 June 2025) was a Nicaraguan politician. She and was President of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1996.[1] Her husband, Pedro Chamorro, was a newspaper editor. He was assassinated in 1978. She took over as editor of the paper, La Prensa.
Violeta Chamorro | |
|---|---|
| File:Violeta Chamorro 1993.jpg Chamorro in 1993 | |
| 55th President of Nicaragua | |
| In office 25 April 1990 – 10 January 1997 | |
| Vice President |
|
| Preceded by | Daniel Ortega |
| Succeeded by | Arnoldo Alemán |
| Member of the Junta of National Reconstruction | |
| In office 17 July 1979 – 19 April 1980 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Violeta Barrios Torres 18 October 1929 Rivas, Nicaragua |
| Died | 14 June 2025 (aged 95) San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | Democratic Union of Liberation |
| Other political affiliations | National Opposition Union |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Pedro, Claudia, Cristiana and Carlos |
Early life
Violeta Barrios Torres was born on 18 October 1929 in Rivas, a small city near the Nicaraguan border with Costa Rica, to Carlos José Barrios Sacasa and Amalia Torres Hurtado.[2][3][4] Her family were rich and conservative.[4]
Presidency
Chamorro ran for president in 1990. When she announced her candidacy, many people and the media thought she could not win because she did not have any experience.[5] She was running against President Daniel Ortega.[6]
On 25 February 1990, Chamorro won the election with a 54.7% of the vote, beating Ortega.[7][8] She became the first elected woman president in the Americas.[9][10] Her victory was seen as an upset victory.[11][12] Ortega accepted the results and peacefully transferred power over to Chamorro.[13]
Two months after the election, on 25 April 1990, Chamorro was sworn into office.[14]
Death
Chamorro died on 14 June 2025 in San José, Costa Rica at the age of 95.[15]
Violeta Chamorro Media
- Coat of arms of Nicaragua.svg
Coat of arms of Nicaragua.
- Peace park boy krk.jpg
Cement-covered AK-47s held by unknown boy in Chamorro's Peace Park in central Managua
- Peace park tank krk.jpg
Cement-covered tank in Chamorro's Peace Park (Parque de la Paz) symbolizing the wish of Nicaraguans that their country "never again" be plagued by such violence.
- Peace park bush krk.jpg
A plaque in Chamorro's Peace Park thanking US President George H. W. Bush for his contribution to the re-establishment of democracy in Nicaragua.
- Photograph of President William Jefferson Clinton with Presidents of Central American Nations on the State Floor of the White House - NARA - 5899990.jpg
Chamorro with US president Bill Clinton and Central American presidents in the White House, 30 November 1993
- Violeta Chamorro Carlos Menem.png
Chamorro with Argentine president Carlos Menem in Colombia, June 1994
References
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Wattenberg, Ben (15 February 1990). Media Piranhas, Where Are You Now?. Orlando, Florida. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/02/15/media-piranhas-where-are-you-now/. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ Uhlig, Mark A. (27 February 1990). "Turnover in Nicaragua; Nicaraguan opposition routs Sandinistas; U.S. pledges aid, tied to orderly turnover". The New York Times. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDF173DF934A15751C0A966958260. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ↑ (in es) El legado de doña Violeta. Managua, Nicaragua: Confidencial. 25 February 2013. http://www.confidencial.com.ni/articulo/10450/el-legado-de-dona-violeta. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ The women presidents of Latin America. London, England: BBC. 31 October 2010. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-11447598. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Gunson, Phil (15 June 2025). "Violeta Chamorro obituary". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/15/violeta-chamorro-obituary. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ↑ Uhlig, Mark A. (28 February 1990). Turnover in Nicaragua; Sandinista Leaders, Facing Defeat, Didn't Argue, Carter Says. New York, New York. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/28/world/turnover-in-nicaragua-sandinista-leaders-facing-defeat-didn-t-argue-carter-says.html. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ↑ Pallmeyer, Hannah (18 December 2006). A Surprising Defeat?: Using the Importance of People to Create a Better Understanding of the 1990 Electoral Defeat of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Macalester College. http://www.macalester.edu/las/facultystaff/pauldosh/courseresources/LAPResearchPaper-Pallmeyer-1.pdf. Retrieved 5 September 2015.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
Other websites
Media related to Violeta Chamorro at Wikimedia Commons
- Violeta Chamorro on IMDb
- Violeta de Chamorro Foundation Archived 18 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Violeta Chamorro: New Direction for Nicaragua from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
- Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)
- Appearances on C-SPAN