Breaking News: Nicaragua’s parliament moves to eliminate elections following President Ortega’s declaration, solidifying his grip on power.
Nicaragua’s legislature, controlled by President Daniel Ortega, has announced plans to abolish elections, following Ortega’s weekend statement ruling out any future polls. The move, revealed on Tuesday, is framed as ensuring “peace, security and stability” through constitutional overhaul. This effectively ends any avenue for opposition to challenge the long-serving leader and his wife, Rosario Murillo.
The legislative action delivers on Ortega’s Sunday pronouncement that “the days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over — never again”. This declaration eliminates the prospect of electoral competition as Ortega and Murillo consolidate authority. Reforms implemented in 2025 extended presidential terms and brought legislative, judicial, and electoral institutions under presidential control. Ortega has been in power until 2028, but his latest statement cancels the scheduled November 2027 elections. Critics point to prior polls in 2011, 2016, and 2021 as already lacking genuine competition, with opposition leaders imprisoned, exiled, or stripped of citizenship. A UN group has accused the government of systematic human rights violations, potentially amounting to crimes against humanity, stemming from a 2018 crackdown on protests which left over 300 dead.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Ortega’s stance, stating the declaration “lays bare their true authoritarian nature.” He asserted that the Nicaraguan people have “the right to choose their own leaders through democratic elections” and urged international unity against the “dictatorship.” The Trump administration previously labelled the regime a dictatorship and imposed sanctions on government officials and allies.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also denounced the legislative developments, stating that all citizens “must be allowed to vote and run for office”. Further erosion of freedoms and the rule of law are anticipated.
Sources: Fox News, The Daily Telegraph, The Jerusalem Post.
