Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
República de Nicaragua
(Female Suffrage 1955) Independent 1821
Also see Nicaragua Heads and Nicaragua Parliament
1950-56
Vice-Minister of Education Olga Nuñez
Abaunza de Saballos
Her country's first female lawyer, and Member of the Chamber of Deputies from
1957, she lived (1920-71).
1974/78-79 Minister of Education María Helena de Perras
1979-80
Minister of Social Affairs Lea Guido de López
1980-86 Minister of Health
She later became Representative of the World Health Orgnaisation in Haïti.
Circa
1979-1984 Vice-Minister of the Presidency Mónica Maria Baltodano Marcenas
1984 Minister of Regional Affairs
1984-90 Minister of Municipalities
She was Sandinist Commandant in the Guerrilla War, 1990-96 Councellor in the
City Council of Managua and 1998-99 3rd and 1999-2000 2nd Vice-President
of The Asemblea Nacional.
Around
1979 Vice-Minister of Culture Daisy Zamora
1984
Minister-Delegate in the Special Zone Mirna Cunningham
1984-86
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Commandant Nora Astorga-Gadia de Jenkins
1986-88 Ambassador to the United Nations and USA
A leading commander in the civil war. Died of cancer, lived (1944-88)
1985-90
Minister of Health Commandante Dora Maria Tellez Argüello
In 1979-84 Deputy President of the Assembly, 1994-95 Parliamentary Leader of the
Sandinista National Liberation Front.
1990-97
Executive President and Head of the Cabinet, Minister of Defence Violeta Barrios
de Chamoro (25.4.10.1)
Normally
known as Doña Violeta, she was member of the Leadership of Government-in-Exile, June 1979-April 1980 Member of
five-person Revolutionary Junta. 1979-90 Publisher of the opposition news-paper
La Prensa after the murder of her husband, opposition leader Joaquín Chamorro
Cardenal. (b. 1929- )
1990-92
Vice-Minister of Finance Marta Palacios Fernandez de Pereira
1992-95 Minister of Health
1990-93
Vice-Minister of Health Hortensia Rivas
Around
1990 Vice-Minister of Education Mary Coco Maltez de Callejas
Around
1993 Minister-Director of the Cultural Institute Gladys Ramírez de Espinosa
1993-97
Deputy Minister of Finance Mirna Somarriba de Bravo
1995-97
Vice-President Julia de la Cruz Mena Rivera
A conservative MP until 1997, Julia Mena, was Secretary of the Asamblea Nacional
in 1995.
1997
Minister of Culture, Education and Sport Blanca Rojas Echaverry
In 1990 Presidental Candidate, since
1990 Lider Partido Unionista Centroamericano.
1997-2002
Vice-minister of Economy and Development Haydée
Azucena Castillo Barquero de Solano
2002 Secretary of the Presidency
2002-2005 Executive Secretary of the Social Emergence inversion Fund
2005-07 Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce
Normally known as Azucena Castillo de Solano
1997-98
Vice-Minister of Health Martha Derling McCoy Sánchez
1998-2000 Minister of Health
2000-02 Secretary of Communication of the President
Around
1997 Vice-Minister of Education Catherine Grisby
1998-99
Minister-Secretary of Social Action Jamileth Bonilla Madrigal
2001-02 Secretary of Social Action
She was 2. Secretary of the Directive Junta of the National
Assembly in 2000.
1998-2000 Vice-Minister of Health Mariángeles Argüello Robelo
2000-02 Minister of Health
1998-99
Vice-Minister of Family Fanny Montenegro
Former Director of Children of Family in the Presidential Administration and
again from 1999.
1999-2000 Vice-Minister of Defence Cristian Matus Rodríguez
2000 Minister of Defence
Before becoming Defence-Vice-Minister she was Deputy Director of a Government
Agency. From 2002 Secretary of Interior of the Department of Chontales.
2000-01 Minister of Family Rosa Argentina López Prado
2000
Vice-Minister of Family Bertha Marina Argüello Román
2000-03 Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
She has been civil servant in the government since 1993. (b. 1970-)
2000-01
Vice-Minister of Education Blanca Ovelar de Duarte
2001-05 Vice-Minister of Defence and Executive Secretary of the National De-Mining Commission . Maria Auxiliadora Cuadra Cuadra de Frech
2001-03
Vice-Minister of Finance and Pubic Credit Maria Lourdes Chamorro Benard
2001-02 Vice-Minister of Family Natalia Barillas Cruz
2002-03 Minister of Women and Family
2002-07 Minister of State Lila Teresita Abaunza de Bolaños
She was First Lady of the
Nation (b. 1929-)
2002-03 Minister of Health Lucía Salvo Horvilleur
She was President of the National Lottery prior to her appointment.
2002-04 Vice-Minister of Education, Culture and Sports Miriam Zabalah de Bandes
2002-05 Vice-Minister of Health Margarita Gurdián López
2005-07 Minister of Health
2002-03 Vice-Minister of Family Carmen Largaesapada Fredersdorff
2003-05 Minister of Family
2002-04 Presidential Secretary
with rank of Minister and Director of Social Communication
Mignone Vega
2003-05
Vice-Minister of Finance and Pubic Credit
Vilma Rosa Leon York
2003-07 Vice-Minister of Family Ligia Terán de Astorga
2004-07 Presidential Secretary with rank of Minister of Legal Affairs Dr. Fabiola Masis Mayorga
2004-05 Vice-Minister of Education Vilma Rosa Leon York
2005-07 Minister of Family Ivania del Socorro Toruño Padilla
2005-07 Vice-Minister of Interior Deyanira Argüello Arana
2006-07 Vice-Minister of the Marine Affairs Lilliam Osejo
2007 Designate Minister of Defence
Marisol Castillo Bellido
Lieutenant Colonel of the Army of Nicaragua, Magistrate of the
Electoral Supreme Council. Wife of the ex-director of the State Security Agency, Lenín Cerna. Her nomination was withdrawn before the new cabinet took office
without a Defence Minister. (b. 1956-).
2007-17 Minister of Interior Ana Isabel
Morales Mazún
Former Sandinist guerrilla leader, she worked for a number of years in the Ministry and
as a lawyer
2007 Minister of Health Juana Maritza
Cuan
General practitioner
and Hospital Director
2007-13 Minister of Labour
Jeannette Chávez Gómez
Ex-guerrilla, lawyer, university university professor and one of the main
leaders of the National Network of Defense of the Consumer. In the 1980's she
was Chief Executive of the Department of the Interior.
2007 Minister of Environment and
Natural Resources Amanda Lorío Arana
Sociologist, ex-investigator of the CIERA in years 80; specialist in
Reflexología. The cabinet at the time had 45% female members.
2007-14
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Juana Vicenta
Argeñal
2014- Minister of Copperative,
Communicative and Associative Family Economy
(Ministerio Economía Familiar,
Cooperativa, Comunitaria y Asociativa)
2007 Minister of Family Glenda Auxiliadora Ramírez Noguera
2007-08 Minister of Family Rosa Adilia Vizcaya
Briones
2007-? Director of the Institute of
Women Emilia del Carmen Tórres Aguilar
There is a total of 16 female Secretaries, Presidents and Vice-President of
Autonomous Institutions with Rang of Minsiter and Vice-Minister in the
government out of 46 positions. That is a total of 36%
2007-16 Presidential Delegate and President of the
Council of
Communication and Civil Society Rosario Murillo Zambrana
2017- Vice-President and
Government Spokesperson
A poet, she married President Daniel Ortega after living with him for 27 years. (b. 1951-).
2007-14 Vice-Minister of Education Milena Núñez Téllez
The number of vice-ministers in the government appointed in 2007 was 27%.
2007-17 Vice-Minister of Finance and Public Credit María Esperanza Acevedo Gutiérrez
2007-17 Vice-Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce Leana del Socorro Lacayo
2008-09 Minister of Family María Isabel Muñoz
2007 Secretary General of Defence with Rank of Minister Ruth Tapia Roa
2009-10 Minister of Family, Youth and
Children Meyling Calero
2010- Minister
of Family Marcia Ramirez Mercado
2010- Minister of Health Sonia Castro
Gonzáles
2010-17 Minister of Education, Culture and Sports Miriam Soledad Raudez
2013- Minister of Labour Alba Luz Torres
2014- Minister of Defence
Martha Ruiz Sevilla
Secretary General of the Ministry for a number of years.
She is the first Minister appointed to the post since 2007
2014- Minister
of Women Angela Yadira Meza Vargas
2014- Minister of the Emergency Social
Investment Fund Diana Leonor Centeno.
2014- Minister of Environment and National Resources María
Auxiliadora Chiong Gutiérrez
2014- Vice-Minister of Environment and
National Resources Justa del Rosario Pérez Acuña
2014- Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of
Cooperation Arlette Cristina Marenco Mendoza
2014- Vice-Minister of
Family Eda Cecilia Medina
2017- Minister of Interior María Amelia Coronel Kinloch
Last update 20.01.17