HISTORY
1934 Augusto Sandino murdered by General Anastasio Somoza Garcia's
National Guard.
1936 Somoza Garcia seizes power and sets up dynasty
1972 Earthquake devastates Managua, killing 10,000.
1978 Pedro Chamorro, publisher of the newspaper La Prensa, assassinated
by unknown gunmen
1979 Somoza overthrown by a popular revolution led by the Sandinista
Liberation Front (FSLN).
1980 Violeta Chamorro (wife of Pedro) resigns from the governing
junta.
1981 Reagan administration begins financing and training former
members of National Guard as a guerrilla army which becomes
known as the Contras.
1983 US Congress prohibits federal funding of Contras. Through
Oliver North, Reagan administration raises money covertly by
selling arms to Iran.
1984 FSLN wins elections recognised as free and fair. Daniel
Ortega becomes president.
1990 FSLN loses elections to National Opposition Union. Violeta
Chamorro becomes president.
1996 Arnoldo Aleman of PLC becomes president. Forms pact with
Ortega. In return for Sandinista appointments to public office,
Aleman rules without opposition.
2006 Daniel Ortega leads in opinion polls for presidential election |
