Political Parties, News
Nicaragua has long had a very interesting - and at times intense - political situation. This was especially so from the time of the country's gaining independence to the political battles of the 1970s. During this period of the country’s history, Nicaraguan politics was dominated by the Liberal and Conservative parties. While there were a number of smaller political parties, these were always grossly outweighed by the support given to these two elite political parties.
Traditionally the Conservatives were supported by the Catholic Church. The Conservatives where closely tied to rural, landowning interests and they were often well supported in their endeavors. The Liberals instead chose to focus on free trade. Open to foreign influences, they restricted church power. The differences between the supporters of these parties often resulted in conflicts and for a while there was a lot of civil unrest as a result. However by the 1970s, the ideologies of these two parties were largely lost and as a result the parties began to split and lost their strength.
Today things have changed somewhat and the political situation in Nicaragua has greatly improved. Nicaragua still has a two-party system and smaller minority groups still struggle to achieve electoral success against them. However politics has taken on a less corrupt and violent face and these days there are few, if any, conflicts related to politics. There is also a tendency towards fewer political parties participating in recent elections. Currently, the two major political parties are the Constitutional Liberal Party and the Sandinista National Liberation Front. The Conservative Party still exists and along with these two major parties, holds a seat in the National Assembly.
There are a number of other minority parties which currently exist in Nicaragua. The majority of these have been listed below for your convenience. Several of these parties have been existence for some time while a few are still relatively young. Attempts to create new political parties are usually largely unsuccessful due to the strengths of majority parties but old parties have a tendency to break apart, due to differences in opinion, and result in a number of smaller, new parties. This tendency has always characterized Nicaragua’s politics.
Other Political Parties in Nicaragua:
Communist Party of Nicaragua
Central American Unionist Party
Independent Liberal Party
Independent Liberal Party for National Unity
Marxist-Leninist Party of Nicaragua
National Conservative Party
National Project
New Liberal party
Nicaragua Party of the Christian Path
Nicaraguan Resistance Party
Nicaraguan Socialist Party
Sardinista Renovation Movement
Unity Alliance
UNO-96
