State in Nicaragua

The Constitution coordinates the State through the Presidencia de la República, the legislative, judicial and electoral organs, the control and fiscalization bodies, and autonomous entities. The Presidencia de la República consists of a Co-President and Co-Presidenta with six-year terms. It directs the State and government, presents the budget proposal, appoints ministers and vice-ministers, oversees governmental and autonomous entities, conducts diplomacy, and directs the Ejército and Policía within their legal mandates. Ley 290 organizes ministries, governmental entities, state banks and companies, and decentralized or deconcentrated administration. The Asamblea Nacional has 90 elected Diputados and Diputadas, including national, departmental and autonomous-region seats. It passes laws, approves the annual budget, requests reports, provides authentic interpretations of laws and appoints several constitutional officials. The Poder Judicial includes the Corte Suprema de Justicia, appellate courts, district courts and local courts. The Corte Suprema is the highest court and handles constitutional, civil, criminal and contentious-administrative matters. Under Ley 260, the administration of justice is generally free, although specific legal exceptions concerning fees can apply. Nicaragua has 15 departments, two autonomous Caribbean regions and 153 municipalities. The RACCN has its seat in Bilwi-Puerto Cabezas, and the RACCS has its seat in Bluefields. Municipal governments consist of a Concejo Municipal, an Alcalde or Alcaldesa and a Vice-Alcalde or Vice-Alcaldesa. Municipal autonomy covers political, administrative and financial matters. The autonomous regions have regional councils and governments and manage cultural, language and development matters in coordination with the central government. Spanish is used nationwide, while Caribbean regional languages have official status in their respective areas. Constitutional autonomy rights also apply to Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples. Public administration normally follows the applicable law or regulation, then the responsible Ministerio, governmental entity, municipality or regional government. Nicaragua has no single all-purpose public office for every state service. Health and other technical services may also follow sector-specific territorial arrangements. The responsible institution, documents, deadlines, access conditions and duties therefore depend on the service and its special law. The Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público prepares the annual budget proposal, and the Asamblea Nacional debates and approves it. The budget system under Ley 550 covers formulation, approval, execution, control, evaluation and liquidation. The 2026 General Budget lists revenues of C$171,701,546,084, expenditures of C$166,778,869,267 and a global surplus of C$4,922,676,817. It includes approximately C$12.2218 billion in municipal transfers and C$60.1455 billion for the public investment program, covering 430 projects across 29 institutions. The Contraloría General de la República is an autonomous control body. It conducts preventive and subsequent oversight of the General Budget, regional and municipal budgets, state or subsidized entities, state companies and private companies with state capital. Its work can include audits, integrity reviews and findings of responsibility or sanctions, and it submits an annual report to the Asamblea Nacional. Ley 1253 of 2025 strengthened its preventive and subsequent powers. These oversight duties do not create a general citizen complaint procedure for every matter. Ley 621 allows a person to request public information verbally, in writing or electronically from the institution that holds it. The law covers the four state powers, autonomous entities, municipalities, autonomous regional governments and private bodies managing public resources. The response may be immediate or take up to 15 working days. No general application fee is established in Ley 621, although reproduction or procedural costs may arise separately. TELCOR regulates telecommunications, postal services and radio frequencies, while Ley 1042 on cybercrime can apply outside Nicaragua in cases covered by that law. The Ejército de Nicaragua is the country's sole military body and protects sovereignty, territorial integrity and national territory. It may support emergency response, action against organized crime and disaster operations under law or presidential direction. The Policía Nacional is the sole police body and is a civilian institution under the civilian authority of the Presidencia. The Ministerio del Interior and Policía Voluntaria are also included in the constitutional security framework. Nicaragua has no compulsory military service or forced recruitment. The police generally handle public order, prevention and investigation; the Ejército handles defense and legally authorized support. A 2025 law provides for two police force chiefs, six-year periods and possible presidential extensions. The complete constitutional text was published on 18 February 2025. Amendments effective from 16 January 2026 address nationality and loss of nationality where another nationality is held. A further partial reform announced for 2026 remains under consultation and is not operative; proposed rules, including any proposed residence period, should not be treated as current law.