Felix Maradiaga is a Nicaraguan academic, human rights defender and social entrepreneur, currently recognized as one of the main opposition voices to the Ortega regime.
After serving as Secretary General of Nicaragua’s Ministry of Defense (2002 – 2006), Felix dedicated himself to strengthening peace, democracy, and human rights in his country. He is currently Director of the Institute of Strategic Studies and Public Policies (IEEPP, one of the top think tanks in Latin America according to the U-Penn Global Think Tank Index) and has led several civil society organizations.
He is a widely published author on Central American Affairs and holds master’s degrees in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and in Renewable Energy Engineering from the University of Barcelona. Felix is a member of the World Economic Forum and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. In 2016, Forbes Magazine named him one of Central America’s most influential people.
In 2021 Maradiaga announced his intention to run in Nicaragua’s Presidential Election. He was arrested in June of the same year, the third opposition candidate to be forcibly removed from the race.
