🇳🇮 Nicaragua: Politics & Democracy
By V-Dem's measure, no — Nicaragua scores 1.9 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range.
Current leaders
Daniel Ortega
Head of State · Sandinista National Liberation Front
Democracy trend
Upcoming elections
2027 Nicaraguan presidential election
2027-01-01T00:00:00Z2027 Nicaraguan parliamentary election
2027-11-01T00:00:00Z2027 Nicaraguan general election
2027-11-01T00:00:00ZVoting alignment
Nicaragua's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Nicaragua a democracy?
By V-Dem's measure, no — Nicaragua scores 1.9 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range. It ranks #175 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Nicaragua improving or declining?
Nicaragua's V-Dem liberal democracy score has declined by 10.5 points over the past decade, standing at 1.9 in 2025 (1-year change: −0.1).
Who leads Nicaragua?
Daniel Ortega is Nicaragua's head of state (Sandinista National Liberation Front).
When is the next election in Nicaragua?
2027 Nicaraguan presidential election is scheduled for 2027-01-01T00:00:00Z.