Junta of National Reconstruction
The Junta of National Reconstruction (Junta de Gobierno de Reconstrucción Nacional) officially ruled Nicaragua from July 1979 to January 1985, though effective power was in the hands of the Sandinista National Liberation Front's National Directorate.
The Sandinista rebels announced the Junta as its provisional government on June 16, 1979, as the civil war against the Anastasio Somoza Debayle regime entered its final phase. It was composed of five members: a member of the FSLN directorate, Daniel Ortega; two left-wing activists, Sergio Ramírez and Moisés Hassan; and two right-wing representatives, Alfonso Robelo and Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
In the first half of July, United States envoy William Bowdler pressured the Sandinistas to broaden the junta by adding additional members, such as Adolfo Calero, Ismael Reyes, and Mariano Fiallos. The Sandinistas, not wishing to alienate the US over the composition of what they intended to be a figurehead body, were willing to acquiesce. But the expansion was blocked by Violeta Chamorro, and Robelo also spoke against it.
After the fall of Somoza, it quickly became apparent to Robelo and Chamorro that they did not have any real power. Chamorro resigned on April 19, 1980, followed by Robelo three days later. On May 18, they were replaced by Arturo Cruz and Rafael Córdova Rivas. Cruz would resign in March 1981, though he agreed for a time to be ambassador to the United States. On March 4, Cruz's appointment to Washington was announced, together with Hassan's departure for the Council of State and Ortega's naming as Coordinator of the now three-member junta. While the junta may have offered little authority to its non-Sandinista members, the public role did solidify Ortega's primacy within the FSLN directorate, and enhance Ramírez's prominence.
On November 4, 1984, a presidential election was held, which was won by leading junta member and revolutionary Daniel Ortega, with Sergio Ramírez as his vice presidential running mate. However, most opposition parties boycotted it, claiming unfair conditions. While the Reagan administration and many mainstream United States media outlets claimed the election was not free or fair, numerous electoral watchers affiliated with Western European governments, as well as United States non-governmental organizations, declared the results legitimate.[1][2] Ortega took office on January 10, and the junta was dissolved.
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- ^ "On this day: 1984: Sandinistas claim election victory". Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Susanne Jonas and Nancy Stein. "The Construction of Democracy in Nicaragua". Retrieved 2007-12-21.