Violeta Chamorro: Peace Dove in Nicaragua

In Asian style

Suddenly, it was no longer the militant Daniel Ortega who led the war-torn Nicaragua. It was a mild, white-haired grandmother. How could that happen? And how could it work out?

When Violeta Chamorro was elected president, the Ortega Sandinista regime was replaced by a ‘democratic’ regime, and a successful transition to peace took place. Chamorro has been compared with the women who brought about democratic revolutions in Asia (Thompson, 2002/03). She was a widow. The election meant the end of a bloody conflict. It was the first time that power was transferred from one party to another in a peaceful manner, and the system of government was changed. But was it actually the same kind of revolution?

Dictator's downfall

Nicaragua's history has been marked by invasions and civil war, tyrants and oligarchs, use of force and murder. The country is strategically located between two oceans and was occupied by the Spaniards in the 1500s. Battles, slavery, disease, abuse and escape reduced the Indian population and the inhabitants became a mix of people with Indian, Spanish and African origin. The Spaniards built cities, but the economy was primarily based on agriculture. A patriarchal political system was established, which was influenced by the Catholic Church, business organisations, patron–client networks and the military. Economic and social disparities were large and a small, mighty elite ruled over the masses of poor farmers and workers.

When Nicaragua seceded from the colonial power in 1821 and became an independent republic in 1838, politics were characterised by rivalry and armed conflict between liberals and conservatives. The Conservative Party was based on large cattle farmers, while the Liberal Party represented coffee cultivators and businessmen. They took turns being in power, but all ruled in an authoritarian way. The winners persecuted the losers, tearing down what they had built up, and exploited resources. In 1912, the US sent in the marines to stabilise conditions, and the occupying forces stayed for nearly 20 years. In 1927, nationalistic rebels revolted under the leadership of Augusto Sandino. They had broad support in the population, and to strike them down, a modern national guard was created under the command of Anastasio Somoza García. Sandino was murdered and Somoza García took power.