Daniel Ortega summary

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Daniel Ortega, (born Nov. 11, 1945, La Libertad, Nic.), President of Nicaragua (1984–90; 2007– ). In 1963 he became a member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and organized urban resistance to the corrupt dictatorship of the Somoza family. Jailed and later exiled, he returned secretly to Nicaragua and helped unite opposition to Somoza. After the Sandinistas prevailed in 1979, he coordinated the ruling junta; in 1984 he was elected Nicaragua’s president. U.S. efforts to destabilize his government led to economic hardship and a protracted war, and Ortega lost his bids for reelection in 1990, 1996, and 2001. He regained power after winning the presidential election of 2006. See also Violeta Chamorro; contras.

president Summary

President, in government, the officer in whom the chief executive power of a nation is vested. The president of a republic is the head of state, but the actual power of the president varies from country to country; in the United States, Africa, and Latin America the presidential office is charged

Nicaragua Summary

Nicaragua, country of Central America. It is the largest of the Central American republics. Nicaragua can be characterized by its agricultural economy, its history of autocratic government, and its imbalance of regional development. Almost all settlement and economic activity are concentrated in

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not