Chamorro, Violeta

Nicaraguan newspaper publisher and politician, president 1990–96. With strong US support, she was elected to be the candidate for the United Nicaraguan Opposition (UNO) in 1989, winning the presidency from Daniel Ortega Saavedra in February 1990 and thus ending the period of Sandinista rule and the decade-long Contra war. She brought greater stability and democracy to the country, but chose not to contest the 1996 presidential election and to retire from politics. She was succeeded by Arnoldo Aleman of the right-of-centre Liberal Alliance.

As president, she attempted to reverse many of the Sandinista's policies and promoted a free-market economy and press freedom. Nicaragua's relations with the USA improved, but she faced rising unemployment, strikes, and obstruction in parliament from the Sandinista Liberation Front (FSLN), which remained the largest party. There were also continuing skirmishes between Sandinista militants in the mountains and US-backed anti-Sandinista Contra rebels, despite official disbanding of the Contras in June 1990. A peace accord was reached with the rebels in 1994 and the military was reformed.