Elí Altamirano

Eli Altamirano Pérez (27 February 1934 – 15 January 2016) was a Nicaraguan politician and trade unionist. He served as the general secretary of the Communist Party of Nicaragua for a quarter century.

Biography Altamirano was born in Chinandega on February 27, 1934. His parents were Angel Maria Altamirano Gutierrez and Mercedes Perez Altamirano. He studied up to the fourth grade at the Escuela Superior de Varones in Chinandega.

In 1956 Altamirano was jailed thrice, during the wave of repression that took place after the killing of Anastasio Somoza García. In December 1970 POSN held its constitutive congress, adopting the name Communist Party of Nicaragua and electing Altamirano as its general secretary. He was the coordinator of the United People's Movement (Movimiento Pueblo Unido).

At the time of the fall of Somoza, Altamirano was imprisoned. He was released after the victory of the revolution on July 19, 1979. Altamirano was arrested along with other Communist Party and CAUS leaders on October 21, 1981 and sentenced to seven months imprisonment for violating the Public Order Law. He was recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

Altamirano was elected deputy of the National Opposition Union (UNO) in the 1990 elections. Within UNO, Altamirano was particularly close to Virgilio Godoy.

Altamirano stood as candidate for president in the 1996 Nicaraguan general election. He obtained 4,802 votes (0.27% of the national vote).

After 1996 Altamirano largely retired from public affairs. Altamirano died in early 2016, but his death was kept secret for almost a month.