Nicaragua
The New Players*
Envío team
The new government Cabinet members were not announced until April 24, one day before Violeta Chamorro took power, and two of those post changed hands by the 25th. When the list finally became official, it was clearly dominated by moderate technocrats rather than the rightwing politicians who make up the UNO Political Council or the equally hardline members of the business association COSEP. We offer our readers a list of President Chamorro’s Cabinet members, as well as brief biographies of the key players in the Cabinet the National Assembly.
UNO Cabinet Members— Ministers and Institute Heads
Minister of the Presidency
Antonio Lacayo Oranguyen
Minister of Government
Carlos Hurtado
Foreign Minister
Enrique Dreyfus Morales
Finance Minister
Emilio A. Pereira Alegría
Education Minister
Sofonías Cisneros Leiva
Agriculture Minister
Roberto Rond6n Sacasa
Economy and Development Minister
Silvio de Franco Montalván
Construction and Transport Minister
Jaime Icabalceta Mayorga
Health Minister
Ernesto Salmerón Bermúdez
Labor Minister
Francisco Rosales Argüello
Central Bank Minister
Francisco Mayorga
Nicaragua Repatriation Institute
Roberto Ferrey
Agrarian Reform Institute
Gustavo Tablada
Health and Welfare Institute
Silviano Matamoros
Sports Institute
Sucre Freeh Freeh
Tourism
Alvaro Chamorro Mora
Insurance Institute
José Cuadra Argüello
Telecommunications (TELCOR)
Pablo Vigil Icaza
*Source: La Prensa, CRIES and individual interviews.
Autonomy Institute
Brooklyn Rivera
Natural Resources Institute (IRENA)
Jaime Incer
Energy Institute (INE)
Emilio Rappaccioli
Water and Aqueducts (INAA)
Roger Mendieta Alfaro
National Assembly Leadership
President
Miriam Arguello Morales—UNO (ANC)
First Vice President
Luis Sánchez Sancho—UNO (PSN)
Second Vice President
Reynaldo Téfel—FSLN
Third Vice President
Edmundo Castillo—UNO
First Secretary
Alfredo Cesar—UNO (PSD)
Second Secretary
Edmundo Jarquín—FSLN
Third Secretary
William Frech—UNO
Biographies of Key Cabinet and National Assembly Member**
**Unless otherwise noted individuals have no party affiliation.
Antonio Lacayo: Studied engineering in US. Founder of CORDENIC, Commission for the Recovery and Development of Nicaragua, moderate business association that worked with Sandinista government. President of a mixed-ownership cooking oil factory in Nicaragua and others in Costa Rica and Mexico. Emerged in Nicaraguan politics as Violeta Chamorro's campaign manager. Leader of "moderate" faction. Married to Chamorro’s daughter Cristiana.
Carlos Hurtado: Studied engineering in Mexico. Worked with FSLN in 1970's. Joined civilian contra leadership in mid-1980's. Returned to Nicaragua to join UNO electoral campaign in 1989. Director of National Cotton Institute (ENAL). Cousin of Violeta Chamorro, protégé of Alfredo César. Member of Social Democratic Party (PSD).
Enrique Dreyfus Morales: Educated in Canada. Involved coffee, cotton and beef production, president of various Nicaraguan businesses. Former president of COSEP, co-founder of CORDENIC. Member of Sanford Commission.
Sofonías Cisneros: Civil engineer, studied in US. Head of Parents of Children in Religious Schools. Leader of Via Cívica, a "non-partisan" NED-funded civic education organization. No previous education experience.
Roberto Rond6n Sacasa: One of the largest landowners in the country, owns a 30,000 hectare cattle farm in Chontales. Considered a "modernizing" employer, with good labor relations record. Member of UPANIC, the agricultural wing of COSEP, but also a member of CORDENIC, seen as moderate. From an historically aristocratic family.
Silvio de Franco Montlaván: Professor at the Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE), member of CORDENIC.
Ernesto Salmerón: Studied medicine in Nicaragua, Chile and Colombia, specialist in pediatrics. Head of Pediatrics at Velez Páiz Hospital 1974-1980. Private practice 1980-1990.
Francisco Rosales Argüello: Lawyer, educated in Nicaragua and Paris (Sorbonne). Legal counsel and director of various industries, specialist in labor law. FSLN leader in the 1960’s currently member of CORDENIC.
Francisco Mayorga: Studied economics in Nicaragua and Yale University. Economics professor since 1974 at INCAE, Director of central American Economic Integration Bank 1979-1985, Economic Advisor to the Central Bank of Nicaragua in the 1970’s, advisor to the Nicaragua Planning Ministry 1980-82. Member of Sanford Commission and founding member of CORDENIC. Author of current UNO economic program.
Roberto Ferrey: Former contra spokesperson (until April 1990). Named to head Repatriation Institute, making him the government's link to his former comrades-in-arms.
Gustavo Tablada: Studied psychiatry and married in the Soviet Union. Imprisoned by Somoza. Known to support cooperative development. No agricultural background.
Brooklyn Rivera: Miskito; from north Atlantic Coast. Math degree from UNAN. Headed civic indigenous organization Misurasata 1980-81 and armed organization of same name 1982-87. Current leader of Yatama, armed/electoral Miskito organization.
National Assembly
Miriam Argüello Morales: Studied floral design in US in 1958, Law in Nicaragua in 1975. Leader of Popular Conservative alliance, a 1984 split from the PCD. Spent six months in jail for disturbing the peace in the July 1988 Nandaime incident. Owns flower shops in Managua. Part of Godoy faction in UNO.
Luis Sánchez Sancho: Member of PSN. Son of PSN founder Domingo Sánchez, who he expelled for opposing participation in UNO alliance. Editor of La Crónica, PPSC weekly. Member of UNO transition team in negotiations with the FSLN. Considered moderate, part of Chamorro faction. Married to Hortensia Rivas, Vice Minister of Education.
Reynaldo Téfel: FSLN member, former director of INSSBI (Health and Human Services).
Alfredo César: Engineer, studied in US. Fought in Southern Front against Somoza. Head of Central Bank until 1982. Went into self-exile in Costa Rica, joined civilian contra leadership in Costa Rica after 1984 elections. Returned to Nicaragua in June 1989 with PSD (Social Democrats). Known as “Seven Daggers” for the number of times he has betrayed allies. Married to Antonio Lacayo’s sister, part of Chamorro faction.
Edmundo Jarquín: FSLN member, former Nicaraguan ambassador to Spain. Married to Claudia Chamorro, daughter of Violeta Chamorro.
Sergio Ramírez: Head of FSLN bench in National Assembly. Vice President of Nicaragua 1984-90. Member of Group of Twelve in 1978-79. Writer, lawyer.
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