Nicaragua

Legal tradition

Nicaragua belongs to the civil law tradition. A civil-law system under the 1987 Constitution, materially reshaped by amendments in 2014 and 2021 that removed presidential term limits and expanded executive control. Two autonomous Caribbean coast regions hold statutory self-government and communal land title under Law 28 and Law 445 — the framework the Inter-American Court enforced in Awas Tingni. Independent legal practice has narrowed sharply since 2018, and the bar association was among thousands of organisations stripped of legal personality.

How power is divided

Unitary, with 15 departments and two autonomous regions — the Región Autónoma de la Costa Caribe Norte and Sur — which have regional councils and recognised communal property.

Where law comes from

Constitution

Incorporates a list of human-rights instruments with constitutional rank (Article 46).

Statutes of the National Assembly

Single chamber of 91 deputies.

Codes

Civil Code 1904, Labour Code (Law 185), Family Code (Law 870), Criminal Code (Law 641).

Autonomy statutes

Law 28 and Law 445 on Caribbean coast self-government and communal title.

The legal profession

Admission historically ran through the Supreme Court with the Colegio de Abogados y Notarios; the association lost its legal personality in the mass cancellations after 2018, so licensing now sits effectively with the court alone. Many practitioners work in exile.