# National Congress of Nicaragua

The National Congress of Nicaragua (Spanish: Congreso Nacional) was the legislature of Nicaragua before the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979.
The congress was bicameral, and consisted of Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) and Senate (Cámara del Senado).
The Chamber of Deputies had 42 members (in 1968). They were popularly elected at-large, with one deputy for each 30 000 citizens. The Chamber of Deputies was the stronger chamber, all legislation was introduced there. The Senate was able block bills from the Chamber of Deputies with two-thirds majority.
The Senate had 18 senators (in 1968). There was one senator for each of the 16 national departments, and senators-for-life (former Presidents of the Republic), and one senator who was the runner-up in the latest presidential elections.
One-third representation of the major opposition party was guaranteed in both houses.
The congress met in the National Palace.

## Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies before 1979

| Name | Term |
| Pedro Solis | 1838-1839 |
| Benito Rosales | 1839-1841 |
| Brigadier Tomás Valladares | 1841-1843 |
| Juan de Dios Orozco | 1843-1845 |
| José León Sandoval | 1845-1846 |
| Norberto Ramírez Áreas | 1846 |
| Justo Abaunza Martínez | 1846-1847 |
| Eduardo Castillo | 1847-1848 |
| Pío José Bolaños Thomeu | 1848 |
| General Ponciano Corral Acosta | 1848-1849 |
| Rosalío Cortés Sánchez | 1849 |
| José Laureano Pineda | 1849 |
| Toribio Terán | 1849-1852 |
| General Fulgencio Vega | 1852-1853 |
| José León Sandoval | 1853-1854 |
| José María Estrada | 1854-1855 |
| Pedro Zeledón Mora | 1855-1858 |
| Hermenegildo Zepeda Fernández | 1858-1859 |
| José Antonio Mejia | 1859-1860 |
| Colonel Agustin Avilez Alfaro | 1860-1861 |
| Hermenegildo Zepeda Fernández | 1861-1868 |
| Pedro Navas | 1868 |
| Hermenegildo Zepeda Fernández | 1868-1869 |
| General Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro | 1869-1870 |
| José Argüello Arce | 1870-1872 |
| Emiliano Cuadra | 1872-1874 |
| Francisco Alemán | 1874-1875 |
| Santiago Morales | 1875 |
| Seferino González | 1875-1877 |
| Francisco del Castillo | 1877-1879 |
| Adán Cárdenas del Castillo | 1879-1881 |
| General Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro | 1881-1882 |
| Benjamin Guerra | 1882-1883 |
| General Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro | 1883 |
| José Francisco Aguilar Sacasa | 1883-1885 |
| Adán Cárdenas del Castillo | 1885-1886 |
| Adrián Zavala | 1886-1887 |
| Salvador Castrillo | 1887-1889 |
| Vicente Navas Fonseca | 1889-1890 |
| Domingo Salinas | 1890-1891 |
| Agustin Duarte | 1891-1892 |
| Salvador Santana Romero | 1892-1893 |
| Francisco Baca (hijo) | 1893 |
| Fernando Sánchez Salinas | 1893 |
| Francisco de Montenegro | 1893-1896 |
| José Madriz Rodríguez | 1896 |
| Celedonio Morales | 1896 |
| José Madriz Rodríguez | 1896-1905 |
| General Julián Irías | 1905-1906 |
| Fernando Abaunza | 1906-1909 |
| General Aurelio Estrada Morales | 1909 |
| Santiago Argüello Barreto | 1909 |
| José Madriz Rodríguez | 1909-1910 |
| General Juan José Estrada | 1910 |
| Manuel Maldonado | 1910-1911 |
| José María Estrada | 1911 |
| Ignacio Suárez | 1911 |
| Adán Cárdenas | 1911-1912 |
| Luís Correa | 1912-1913 |
| Salvador Zamora | 1913 |
| Salvador Chamorro | 1913-1914 |
| Narciso Lacayo Lacayo | 1914-1915 |
| General Miguel Cárdenas | 1915 |
| César Pasos | 1915-1917 |
| Hernán Jarquín | 1917 |
| General Isidro Urtecho | 1917 |
| Mariano Zelaya | 1917-1918 |
| General Sebastián Uriza | 1918 |
| Pedro González | 1918-1923 |
| Eduardo Castillo C. | 1923-1924 |
| General Alfonso Estrada | 1924-1925 |
| Juan José Martínez | 1925-1926 |
| Demetrio Cuadra Pasos | 1926-1929 |
| Domingo Calero Blandino | 1929-1931 |
| Francisco Baltodano | 1931-1933 |
| Coronado Urbina | 1933-1934 |
| Benjamín Lacayo Sacasa | 1934 |
| Onofre Sandoval | 1934-1935 |
| Simeón Rizo Gadea | 1935-1936 |
| Humberto Alvarado | 1936 |
| Carlos Alberto Brenes | 1936 |
| Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa | 1936-1937 |
| Fernando Sánchez Salinas | 1937-1938 |
| Manuel Cordero Reyes | 1938-1939 |
| Aurelio Montenegro | 1939-1940 |
| Roberto González Dubón | 1940-1944 |
| Aurelio Montenegro | 1944-1946 |
| C. A. Bendaña | 1946-1948 |
| Pedro J. Nuñez | 1948 |
| Francisco Baltodano | 1948-1950 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1950-1952 |
| Manuel Fernando Zurita | 1952-1953 |
| Luis Somoza Debayle | 1953-1954 |
| Ulises Irías | 1954-1955 |
| Luis Somoza Debayle | 1955-1956 |
| Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza | 1957-1959 |
| Aurelio Montenegro | 1959 |
| Juan José Morales Marenco | 1959–1961 |
| Orlando Montenegro Medrano | 1961-1962 |
| Ulises Irías | 1962-1963 |
| Juan José Morales Marenco | 1963–1964 |
| Victor Manuel Talavera | 1964-1965 |
| Orlando Montenegro Medrano | 1965-1966 |
| José Maria Briones | 1966-1967 |
| Adolfo Martínez Talavera | 1967–1968 |
| Orlando Montenegro Medrano | 1968-1969 |
| Orlando Tijerino Medrano | 1969-1970 |
| Orlando Montenegro Medrano | 1970–1972 |
| Cornelio H. Hüeck | 1972–1976 |
| Orlando Montenegro Medrano | 1976 |
| Luis Pallais Debayle | 1976-1978 |
| Francisco Urcuyo Maliaños | 1978–July 1979 |

## Presidents of the Senate before 1979

| Name | Term |
| M. J. Cordero | 1913–1914 |
| Pedro González | 1914–1915 |
| José Demetrio Cuadra | 1915–1916 |
| Sebastián Uriza | 1916 |
| Pedro González | 1916–1917 |
| Agustin Pasos | 1917–1918 |
| Sebastián Uriza | 1918–1922 |
| Hernán Jarquín | 1922–1923 |
| José Demetrio Cuadra | 1923–1924 |
| Gil Arévalo | 1924–1925 |
| Federico Sacasa | 1925–1926 |
| Sebastián Uriza | 1926–1927 |
| J. Leopoldo Salazar | 1927–1928 |
| José Demetrio Cuadra | 1928 |
| J. Leopoldo Salazar | 1928–1929 |
| Víctor Manuel Román y Reyes | 1929–1930 |
| Francisco Paniagua Prado | 1930–1931 |
| Leopoldo Ramírez Mairena | 1931–1932 |
| Hildebrando A. Castellón | 1932 |
| José Demetrio Cuadra | 1932–1933 |
| Hildebrando A. Castellón | 1933–1934 |
| Onofre Sandoval | 1934–1935 |
| José D. Estrada | 1935–1936 |
| Francisco Somarriba | 1936 |
| José D. Estrada | 1936–1939 |
| Onofre Sandoval | 1939–1942 |
| José María Moncada | 1942–1943 |
| Carlos A. Velázquez | 1943–1944 |
| Carlos A. Morales | 1944–1945 |
| Crisanto Sacasa | 1945 |
| Onofre Sandoval | 1945 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1945–1946 |
| Juan José Martínez | 1946–1947 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1947–1948 |
| Pedro A. Blandón | 1948–1949 |
| Lorenzo Guerrero | 1949–1950 |
| Alberto Argüello Vidaurre | 1950–1951 |
| Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza | 1951–1952 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1952–1953 |
| Lorenzo Guerrero | 1953–1954 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1954–1955 |
| Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza | 1955–1956 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1956–1957 |
| Lorenzo Guerrero | 1956–1957 |
| Luis Manuel Debayle | 1957–1958 |
| Alejandro Abáunza Espinoza | 1958–1959 |
| Leonardo Somarriba | 1959 |
| Pablo Rener | 1959–1960 |
| Fernando Delgadillo Colé | 1960–1961 |
| José María Zelaya Cardoza | 1961–1962 |
| Lorenzo Guerrero | 1962 |
| José María Zelaya Cardoza | 1962–1963 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1963 |
| José Frixione | 1963 |
| Victor Manuel Talavera | 1963–1964 |
| Adrián Cuadra | 1964–1965 |
| Luis Arturo Ponce Sotomayor | 1965 |
| Humberto Castrillo Morales | 1965 |
| Luis Somoza Debayle | 1965–1966 |
| Mariano Argüello Vargas | 1966 |
| Pablo Rener | 1966–1967 |
| Humberto Castrillo Morales | 1967–1968 |
| Constantino Mendieta R. | 1968–1969 |
| Cornelio H. Hüeck | 1969–1970 |
| Gustavo F. Chávez | 1970–1971 |
| Humberto Castrillo Morales | 1971–1972 |
| Pablo Rener | 1972–July 1979 |

## Presidents of the Legislature during Federal Republic of Central America

| Name | Term |
| Juan Manuel Zamora | 1825 |
| Juan Argüello del Castillo | 1825 |
| Francisco Reñasco | 1825 |
| Gregorio Porras | 1825-1826 |
| Pedro Muñoz | 1826-1827 |
| Pío José Bolaños Thomeu | 1827 |
| Manuel Mendoza | 1827-1829 |
| José María Estrada | 1829-1832 |
| José de Montenegro | 1832-1833 |
| Evaristo Berríos | 1833-1837 |
| Joaquin Barrios | 1837-1838 |
| Pedro Aguirre | 1838 |