Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua's first female president, who ended a brutal civil war and oversaw the country's transition to democracy in the 1990s, died peacefully in Costa Rica on June 14 at the age of 95, her family announced.

Chamorro, known affectionately as "Doña Violeta" throughout Central America, had been living in exile in San José with her family, joining hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans who have fled the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Daniel Ortega – the same man she defeated at the ballot box 35 years ago.

"Doña Violeta died peacefully, surrounded by the affection and love of her children and those who had provided her with extraordinary care, and now she finds herself in the peace of the Lord," her family said in a statement shared by her son, Carlos Fernando Chamorro.

Her death marks the end of a remarkable political journey that began in tragedy and transformed a humble homemaker into one of Latin America's most significant democratic leaders.

Chamorro was catapulted into public life following the assassination of her husband, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro, the influential editor of opposition newspaper La Prensa, who was gunned down on a Managua street in January 1978. His killing, widely attributed to the right-wing Somoza dictatorship, helped galvanise the popular uprising that brought Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front to power in 1979.

Initially supportive of the Sandinista revolution, Chamorro joined the leftist governing junta but resigned nine months later as the Sandinistas consolidated power and aligned themselves with Cuba and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Taking over La Prensa, she transformed the newspaper into a leading voice of opposition to the Sandinista government, enduring regular harassment and threats whilst Nicaragua descended into a devastating civil war between the ruling party and US-backed Contra rebels.

In 1990, a coalition of 14 opposition parties persuaded a reluctant Chamorro to stand as their presidential candidate. Despite initial scepticism about her chances and a campaign hampered by a knee injury that left her in a wheelchair, the elegant, silver-haired candidate connected with war-weary Nicaraguans.

Her stunning electoral victory over Ortega shocked observers worldwide and led to the disbanding of the 19,000-strong Contra army by June 1990, formally ending eight years of conflict that had claimed some 30,000 lives.

Chamorro's presidency proved challenging. She inherited a country ravaged by war, hyperinflation and a US trade embargo. Her free-market reforms faced fierce opposition from Sandinista-controlled trade unions, leading to general strikes and street battles during her first months in office.

Despite these difficulties, at nearly seven years, Chamorro's presidency was the longest single term ever served by a democratically elected Nicaraguan leader. When she left office in 1997, she handed power to another elected civilian – a rarity in a country with a history of strongman rule and political instability.

Her later years were marked by personal tragedy as Nicaragua slid back towards authoritarianism under Ortega, who returned to power in 2007. Her daughter Cristiana was placed under house arrest and later convicted on trumped-up money laundering charges, whilst other family members were forced into exile.

The Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, which promoted press freedom and trained journalists, was forced to close its Nicaragua operations in 2021 along with numerous civilian and religious NGOs, as Ortega moved to silence critical voices and cracked down on dissent in the wake of widespread anti-regime protests in 2018.

Chamorro was transferred from Managua to Costa Rica in October 2023 to undergo treatment following deteriorating health conditions.

A religious ceremony is being planned in San José, whilst her remains will be held in Costa Rica "until Nicaragua returns to being a Republic," the family statement said – a pointed reference to their view that their homeland has abandoned democratic governance.

In Managua, the government led by Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo issued a statement expressing condolences for Chamorro's death. The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity said her figure "represented a contribution to the much-needed peace in our country" and acknowledged that she "represented the possibility of ratifying the conclusion of that unjust and bloody war." The statement, referencing what it called "the war imposed on Nicaragua by the imperialists," concluded: "May she rest in peace, Doña Violeta, and may the peace we all safeguard and defend continue to shine beautifully in our skies."

Chamorro's death removes one of the last major figures from Nicaragua's democratic transition, as the country she once led continues to grapple with political repression and economic crisis under Ortega's rule.

She is survived by her four children and numerous grandchildren, many of whom now live in exile alongside the estimated 700,000 Nicaraguans who have fled their homeland in recent years.