Chamorro, Violeta

Chamorro, Violeta (Barrios de)

(born Oct. 18, 1929, Rivas province, Nic.) President of Nicaragua (1990–96). Born into a wealthy family, she married the publisher of La Prensa, a newspaper that opposed the Anastasio Somoza dictatorship (see Somoza family). After her husband was assassinated in 1978, she took his place as publisher. When the Sandinistas overthrew Somoza, she served briefly on a ruling civilian junta, but her newspaper soon became critical of Daniel Ortega and supportive of U.S. policies, which included extensive support for the anti-Sandinista contras. Advocating an end to military and economic conflicts with the U.S., she was elected president in 1990. Her presidency was troubled by continuing deep political divisions and the significant power still held by the Sandinistas.