President : Arnoldo Alemán Arnoldo Alemán was President of Nicaragua from 1997 to 2002 . In the early 1990s he became Mayor of Managua after serving for two months as a councillor in Managua . He was popular due to his urban renewal projects which helped spruce up the city , severely damaged and never rebuilt after a 1972 earthquake . Alemán was constitutionally barred from running for another term , and was succeeded by his vice president , Enrique Bolaños . Allegations emerged that Alemán was concealing massive corruption in his administration . At the end of his presidency , public information about alleged corruption committed under his government became available
1972 earthquake
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
2011 Nicaraguan general election