elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 4 November
2001 (next to be held by November 2006)
election results: Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (PLC) elected president -
56.3%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 42.3%, Alberto SABORIO (PCN)
1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon elected vice president

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats;
members are elected by proportional representation and party lists
to serve five-year terms; one seat for previous President, one seat
for runner-up in previous Presidential election
elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance
(ruling party - includes PCCN, PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%,
FSLN 36.55%, PCN 2.12%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 53, FSLN
38, PCN 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year
terms by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon, Oscar
WENDOLYN Vargas, Karla WHITE]; Central American Unionist Party or
PUCA [leader NA]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando
TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Mario
RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ
Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National
Unity or PLIUN [leader NA]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC
[Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo
NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [leader NA]; Nicaraguan
Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina];
Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista
National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra];
Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [leader NA]; Unity Alliance or
AU [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of
eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC,
Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs
Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National
Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of
Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,
Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Unio