San ‧ di ‧ nis ‧ tas, the /ˌsændəˈniːstəz, ˌsændɪˈniːstəz/ BrE AmE noun [plural]
a ↑ left-wing political organization in Nicaragua in central America, who gained power in 1979 and got rid of the ↑ dictator Somoza. They were the government of Nicaragua until they were defeated in elections in 1990. The Sandinistas were strongly opposed by the US, which provided money, weapons, and military training to a ↑ right-wing opposition group called the Contras. They are still one of the main two political parties in Nicaragua and they were elected back into government in 2006.