Latin America Collection

The Nicaraguan government is a constitutional democracy
divided into four branches: executive, legislative, judicial and
electoral. Nicaragua's Constitution was ratified in January 1987,
with reforms in 1995, 2000 and 2005.
Executive power is vested in the President, who is assisted by a
Vice President and an appointed Cabinet. The president's term is
five years.
The Legislative Branch is made up of a unicameral 93-member
National Assembly. Congressmen and women are not directly
elected. The number of seats each party receives in the National
Assembly is related to the percentage of votes they get in the
general elections. Lawmakers are appointed to their posts off a
party list made by the party bosses, who reward those who are
loyal to them.
Sandinista and Liberal lawmakers currently control Congress and
it's seven-member directorate. A minority voting bloc known as
Azul y Blanco is made up of a handful of minority lawmakers


Rubén Darío- Latin America's
Greatest Poet
Rubén Dario is one of the most famous poets in the history of the Spanish
Language. His style was both revolutionary and unprecedented in Spanish
literature. He is considered the father of the modernist movement of
Spanish poetry. He is truley his country's greatest national hero. Dario's
legacy is truly incredible. Today his picture can even found on the front-
side of Nicaragua's 100 córdova bill.
Rubén Darío was born on January 18, 1867 in Metepa, Nicaragua. At
birth, he was named Félix Rubén García Saramientoand later took the old
family name, Dario. Darío began reading at the age of 3 and by the age of
10 had read the classics like Don Quijote. When he was 12, he published his
first poems. He called his first three poems La Fé, Una Lágrima and El
Desengaño
.
In 1882 in an attempt to secure a scholarship to study in Europe, Darío
read his poem, El Libro to conservative Nicaraguan authorites including
President Joaquín Zavala. He was denied the scholarship because his
poems were considered too liberal and officials feared a European
education would further encourage his anti-religious sentiments. Instead,
Darío traveled to El Salvador where he met the well-respected poet,
Francisco Gavidia. Gavidia introduced Dario to the rhythmic structure of
French poetry, which later became the cornerstone of Darío's revolutionary
verses.
At the age of 19, Dario moved to Chile and dabbled in journalism. That
year he also wrote his first novel, Emelina, which was unsuccesful.
Nevertheless, his poetry received praise in competitions. In Chile, Dario
was confronted with prejudice and racisim due to the dark complexion of
his skin, compared to that of the European influenced Chileans. Despite
his disillusionment and despondency, Darío continued to be prolific in his
writing and published some of his more popular works such as Azul,
Otonales
and Primeras Notas.


In 1890 at the age of 24, Darío married Rafaela Contreras and a year later
while living in Costa Rica his son, Rubén DaríoContreras was born. After
fleeing from a military coup,the couple moved to Guatemala where he was
recruited in 1892 to represent Nicaragua in a celebration, the fourth
century of the discovery of the new World. The following year his wife
died and he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.Soon after, Darío involuntarily
remarried his ex-girlfriend, Rosario Murillo. Rosario's brother lured Darío
with sex and alcohol, and at gunpoint forced him to marry Rosario. Her
brother had found the two lovers in bed and arranged a marriage in order
to restore his sister's honor and reputation. Darío, who had no recolection
of the previous night,awoke the next morning with a hangover and a new
wife. Although never divorced from Rosario, Darío fell in love with his
mistress, Francisca Sánchez. In addition, Darío did not limit his sexual
relationships to his wife and mistress and fathered several children, some
whom died and others he never met. Throughout his life, Darío indulged
in alcohol and women and was notorious for his immoderate lifestyle.
In addition to being a poet Darío was a diplomat and journalist. In 1893,
he was appointed consulate in Columbia and traveled to Panama and
Argentina.
In 1896 he published Prosas Profanas, a book of poems, which documented
his trademark rhythmic and modernist approach. At 31, Darío worked for
La Nación
, an Argentinean newspaper and reported his impresiion about
the Spanish during its war with the United States. While still working as a
poet and journalist, he was named Ambassador of Nicaragua in Paris in
1903. He published in autobiography in 1912.
In 1914 Dario was honored in NewYork with a silver medal medal from
the Hispanic Society of America. Later that year, he fell ill to pneumonia
and recovered only to find himself bankrupt. In 1916 Dario returned to
Nicaragua and died there on February 6th at the age of 49 of cirosis.
As a poet, journalist and novelist, Darío remained a prolific writer
throughout his life. Fellow poet, Enrique Anderson Imbert said, "With
incomaprable elegance, Darío brought to poetry a joy of living and a fear
of dying."


loyal to President Bolaños, but with diminishing power in
Congress.
Sandinista leader and former revolutionary President, Daniel
Ortega heavily influences Nicaragua's judicial system and much
of the Nicaraguan state. The Sandinistas still control more than
80% of the country's 436 lower judgeships, which are lifetime
posts that were awarded to party loyalists during the 1980s.
Until 2002, the Sandinistas also controlled the Supreme Court
and the Appeals Tribunals. Now, the higher courts have several
judge seats filled by members of the Liberal Constitutional Party
­ a result of the infamous "pacto" forged in 2002 between
Sandinista party boss Daniel Ortega and Liberal boss Arnoldo
Alemán.
The terms of the pacto were redefined last year, resulting in an
ambitious power-sharing agenda to divide up state institutions as
party patronage. In January of 2005, the pacto-controlled
Congress passed a series of constitutional reforms aimed at
stripping power from the President and passing it to the
legislative branch.
Nicaragua is divided into 16 departments and two autonomous
regions. The departments are: Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega,
Chontales, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, León, Madriz, Managua,
Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Río San Juan, and Rivas.
On the Atlantic coast, are the North Atlantic Autonomous
Region (RAAN) and the South Atlantic Autonomous Region
(RAAS).
The military in Nicaragua has been placed under civilian control,
replacing the old Sandinista Popular Army (EPS) of the 1980s.