Antonio Lacayo

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lacayo and the second or maternal family name is Oyanguren.

Antonio Lacayo Oyanguren (21 December 1947 – 17 November 2015) was a Nicaraguan politician who served as Minister of the Presidency from 1990 to 1996, during the government of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. He was a central figure in the country’s transition to democracy. He was campaign manager for Chamorro’s 1990 run for the presidency that defeated FSLN incumbent Daniel Ortega. In 1991, he created the Nicaraguan currency, the Cordoba Oro.

Antonio Lacayo
Lacayo in 2005
Born	(1947-12-21)21 December 1947 Managua, Nicaragua
Died	17 November 2015(2015-11-17) (aged 67) San Juan River, Nicaragua
Title	Minister of the Presidency
Spouse	Cristiana Chamorro Barrios

Life and career

Lacayo was a central figure in Nicaragua's transition to democracy.^[1] He was campaign manager for Violeta Barrios de Chamorro,^[1] mother of Lacayo's wife Cristiana Chamorro Barrios,^[2] during Violeta Chamorro's 1990 run for the presidency that defeated FSLN incumbent Daniel Ortega.^[3] Lacayo then served in Chamorro's administration as Minister of the Presidency from 1990 to 1996.^[1] In 1991, he created the Nicaraguan currency, the Cordoba Oro.^[1]

In 1995, Lacayo established The National Project (Spanish: Proyecto Nacional - PRONAL), a political party. In April 1996, he sought to run for the Nicaraguan presidency. ^[4] However, his candidacy stirred political controversy in Nicaragua, as many politicians contended that the constitution prohibited relatives of current or former presidents from running for office. Despite leading in the opinion polls, he was disqualified by the Electoral Supreme Council, as it ruled it was unconstitutional for Lacayo to run because he was married to the daughter of then-president Violeta Chamorro. After the ruling, Lacayo stated, "I married this woman who is here by my side and I will never understand that the right to be president was denied to me because I'm married to a woman I adore."^[5]

Death

In 2015, he died in a helicopter crash into the San Juan River.^[1] The pilot and two Americans, executives from Coca-Cola and Tampa Juice, also died.^[1]

Publications

• La Difícil Transición Nicaraguense en el Gobierno con Doña Violeta (2005)

References

1. Salinas, Carlos (21 November 2015). "Muere Antonio Lacayo, el hombre fuerte de la transición en Nicaragua". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2021.
2. Chamorro Barrios, Cristiana (2016-02-27). "Agradecimiento y reflexiones". La Prensa. Archived from the original on 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
3. Navas, Lucía; Romero, Elízabeth (2015-11-20). "Artífice de la paz social de Nicaragua". La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
4. Political Developments in Nicaragua. Associated Press. July 21, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
5. AP Archive (2015-07-21). NICARAGUA: NEW CANDIDATES CHOSEN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENCY. Retrieved 2024-11-10 – via YouTube.