The reform of the 1987 Sandinista Constitution gave extensive new powers and independence to the National Assembly, including permitting the Assembly to override a presidential veto with a simple majority vote and eliminating the president's ability to pocket veto a bill.
The Nicaraguan Constitution promulgated on January 1, 1987 provided the final step in the institutionalization of the Sandinista regime and the framework under which the Chamorro government would take office.
[1] It established a democratic system of government with a mixed economy based on a separation of powers that could guarantee civil liberties.
[1] Early objections were raised that the executive branch was too strong, that property rights were not adequately protected, and that some of the language was vague and subject to widely differing interpretations.
[1] In 2025, during the presidency of Daniel Ortega, the National Assembly approved multiple amendments to the constitution that included extending the presidential term to six years from five, proclaiming Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, co-presidents, declaring the flag of the Sandinista National Liberation Front as one of the country's national symbols, defining Nicaragua as a "revolutionary" and socialist state, and establishing a "volunteer police force".
[4] The president's term was set at six years by a decree promulgated in January 1984, during the period when the country had no constitution.
[7] Under the 1987 constitution, the Supreme Court is an independent branch of government, whose members are selected for six-year terms by the National Assembly from lists submitted by the president.