Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Nicaragua)

Commander-in-Chief of the Army
Comandante en Jefe del Ejército de Nicaragua
Incumbent
Julio César Avilés Castillo
since 21 February 2010
Nicaraguan Armed Forces
Reports toMinister of Defence
PrecursorChief Director of the National Guard
FormationJuly 1979
First holderHumberto Ortega
WebsiteOfficial website

The Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Spanish: Comandante en Jefe del Ejército de Nicaragua) is the professional head of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Nicaragua.

On 20 April 1823 José Anacleto Ordóñez would declare Nicaragua's independence in Granada and appointed himself General en Jefe del Ejército, Protector y Libertador de Granada, essentially establishing military absolutism in the state, with himself as the de facto military leader until he was deposed on 19 January 1825.[1]

This military absolutism would be brought back after the assassination of Head of State José Zepeda on 25 January 1837, during the presidency of José Núñez, who appointed Bernardo Méndez de Figueroa as "General Commander of Arms".[2]

List of officeholders

Protector and Liberator of Granada

No. Portrait Name
(born–died)
Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1
Ordóñez, CletoGeneral
José Anacleto Ordóñez
(1778–1839)
20 April 182319 January 18251 year, 274 days[3]

General Commander of Arms

No. Portrait Name
(born–died)
Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1
Méndez, BernardoColonel
Bernardo Méndez de Figueroa
(1782–?)
183718391–2 years[2]
2
Fonseca, CastoGrand Marshal
Casto Fonseca
(1800–1845)
183918455–6 years[4]
3
Munoz Fernandez, Jose TrinidadGeneral
José Trinidad Muñoz
(1790–1855)
184518 August 1855 †9–10 years[5]

Commander-in-Chief

No. Portrait Name
(born–died)
Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1
Ortega, HumbertoArmy general
Humberto Ortega
(1947–2024)
July 197921 February 199515 years, 7 months[6]
2
Cuadra, JoaquínArmy general
Joaquín Cuadra
21 February 199521 February 20005 years[6]
3
McDonough, JavierArmy general
Javier Carrión McDonough
21 February 200021 February 20055 years[6]
4
Acevedo, MoisesArmy general
Moises Omar Halleslevens Acevedo
(born 1949)
21 February 200521 February 20105 years[6][7]
5
Castillo, JulioArmy general
Julio Avilés Castillo
21 February 2010Incumbent15 years, 135 days[6]

References

  1. ^ Bolaños Geyer, Enrique (2018). "La Independencia de Nicaragua" [The Independence of Nicaragua]. enriquebolanos.org (in Spanish). Enrique Bolaños Biblioteca. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "UCSD Libraries: 1811-1856". 2008-05-26. Archived from the original on 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  3. ^ "Cleto Ordóñez: Primer Caudillo Popular de Nicaragua" [Cleto Ordóñez: The First Popular Caudillo of Nicaragua]. El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). 8 August 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  4. ^ Chiozza, Giacomo; Goemans, H. E. (2011-08-18). Leaders and International Conflict. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-50166-8.
  5. ^ Bancroft, Hubert Howe (1887). The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft: History of Central America. Vol. III. 1801-1887. San Francisco: The History Company, Publishers. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Comandantes en Jefe del Ejército 1979 - 2010". Ejército.mil.ni (in Spanish). Ejército de Nicaragua. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  7. ^ "LA PRENSA". overseas.mofa.go.kr. Embajada de la República de Corea en Nicaragua. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2021.