Miriam Argüello | |
---|---|
President of the National Assembly | |
In office April 1990 – January 1991 | |
President | Violeta Chamorro |
Preceded by | Carlos Núñez Téllez |
Succeeded by | Alfredo César Aguirre |
Deputy to the National Assembly | |
Personal details | |
Born | February 22, 1927 |
Died | February 7, 2019 | (aged 91)
Nationality | Nicaragua |
Political party | National Opposition Union |
Occupation | Lawyer Deputy |
Known for | First woman elected president of the National Assembly |
Miriam Argüello Morales (February 22, 1927 – February 7, 2019)[1] was a politician from Nicaragua. A lawyer by training,[1] she was the first woman to become president of the National Assembly of Nicaragua,[2] where she served as a deputy for 22 years.[1] She was elected Assembly president in 1990,[3] defeating Alfredo César Aguirre though he had the support of Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro. However, César prevailed the following year, replacing Argüello in 1991.[4]
In 1996, Argüello ran for President of Nicaragua as a member of the Popular Conservative Alliance (APC).[5] 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.[5]
In 2007, Argüello allied with the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), but broke again with the ruling party in 2012 over the re-election of FSLN leader Daniel Ortega as President, saying the Supreme Court'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.[1]