Government

Nicaragua is a democratic republic made up of four branches of government and the government system is ruled by the 1987 Political Constitution.

The current President is Daniel Ortega Saavedra, who was elected in November 2011 to serve for the 2012-2016 period. The Vice President is Omar Halleslevens Acevedo.

Executive Branch
The President is the Head of State, elected for a 5 year period, and the Commander in Chief of the nation’s Defense and Security Forces.

Legislative Branch
Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, composed of 92 representatives elected by universal suffrage for a five year period.

Electoral Branch
This branch is constituted by the Supreme Electoral Council, composed of judges appointed by the National Assembly, through short lists proposed by the President of the Republic for a five year period. This is the organ responsible for organizing national, regional and municipal elections.

Judicial Branch
The highest judiciary power is the Supreme Court, composed of sixteen judges nominated by the National Assembly.

Additionally, Nicaragua has 3 state institutions, 14 ministries and 26 decentralized entities.