In 1952, Chamorro's husband, Pedro Chamorro, took over the anti-Somoza newspaper La Prensa and was frequently jailed for its content. Violeta Chamorro ran the newspaper after her husband's assassination in 1978.
La Prensa helped to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship in 1979 and in Chamorro became a member of the interim junta that replaced it. In April of 1980 she was expelled from the junta by chairman Daniel Ortega. Ortega proceded to remove the other junta members, and consolidated the power over the nation in the hands of his socialist Sandinista party. Angered by the authoritarian nature of Ortega's new regime, Chamorro turned La Prensa into an anti-Sandinista opposition newspaper, which was subsequently shut down by the President.
In 1990, after years of US-backed Contra rebellions, Ortega agreed to hold elections. Chamorro defeated Ortega and was elected president as leader of the 14-party National Opposition Union ticket and received 55% of the vote.
Her main goal as President was to reform the country's troubled economy. However, the Sandinistas blocked any major changes. Her reign ended in 1996 when Arnoldo Alemán was elected.