Miriam Argüello Morales (February 22, 1927 – February 7, 2019) was a politician from Nicaragua. A lawyer by training, she was the first woman to become president of the National Assembly of Nicaragua, where she served as a deputy for 22 years. She was elected Assembly president in 1990, defeating Alfredo César Aguirre though he had the support of Nicaraguan President

Violeta Chamorro Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro (; 18 October 1929 – 14 June 2025) was a Nicaraguan politician who served as the 55th president of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1997. She was the country's first female president. Previously, she was a member of ...

. However, César prevailed the following year, replacing Argüello in 1991. In 1996, Argüello ran for

President of Nicaragua The co-presidents of Nicaragua (), officially known as the presidency of the Republic of Nicaragua (), are the heads of state and head of government, government of Nicaragua. The office was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until ...

as a member of the Popular Conservative Alliance (APC). Though in the previous term, both the Presidency and Vice-Presidency had been held by women—Chamorro and Julia Mena Rivera, respectively—few other women served in the Chamorro administration and in 1996 Argüello was the lone woman among 23 presidential candidates. In 2007, Argüello allied with the

Sandinista National Liberation Front The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...

(FSLN), but broke again with the ruling party in 2012 over the re-election of FSLN leader

Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...

as President, saying the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

's ruling allowing Ortega a third term violated the Nicaraguan Constitution as well as legal precedent barring anyone from serving three terms as President or serving for two consecutive terms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arguello, Miriam 1927 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Nicaraguan lawyers 20th-century Nicaraguan women politicians 20th-century Nicaraguan politicians Members of the National Assembly (Nicaragua) Presidents of the National Assembly (Nicaragua) Sandinista National Liberation Front politicians Nicaraguan women lawyers National Opposition Union politicians 20th-century women lawyers