Violeta Chamorro, Nicaragua’s first female president and a key figure in country’s transition from civil war to peace, has passed away at the age of 95, her family confirmed in a statement released Saturday.
Chamorro, once a quiet homemaker, entered political spotlight following the assassination of her husband, journalist Pedro Joaquín Chamorro.
She shocked the world in 1990 by defeating the ruling Sandinista party in a historic presidential election, bringing an end to years of conflict between Daniel Ortega’s government and US-backed Contra rebels.
Known affectionately and respectfully as “Doña Violeta,” Chamorro oversaw a fragile yet critical shift toward democracy in a deeply divided nation. Her nearly seven-year tenure remains the longest served by any democratically elected Nicaraguan president, and she made history again by peacefully transferring power to an elected civilian successor; a significant milestone in a country long dominated by authoritarian rulers and political unrest.
Chamorro passed away in San Jose, Costa Rica, according to a statement shared by her son, journalist Carlos Chamorro, on social media platform X.
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