President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua announced Sunday that the country would no longer hold elections, a move seen as eliminating any future political challenges from opposition groups, according to his remarks during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution.
Ortega, who has been in power since 2007 and previously governed during the 1980s, said, ‘There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power.’ His comments appeared to further cement his control over Nicaragua’s political institutions, along with his wife, Rosario Murillo, who is now a co-president after constitutional reforms in 2025.
The reforms extended Ortega’s presidential term from five to six years and placed legislative, judicial, and electoral institutions under presidential authority. Ortega and Murillo now exercise control over nearly every branch of government, including the armed forces, police, and judiciary, according to United Nations experts.
Opposition leaders, journalists, and business figures have faced arrests, exile, or stripping of citizenship, while independent civic organizations have lost legal status. The government has also been accused of systematic human rights violations, with some experts suggesting crimes against humanity may have occurred. The crackdown on protests in 2018 resulted in more than 300 deaths, according to human rights groups.
The United States has condemned Ortega’s government as a dictatorship, imposing sanctions and visa restrictions on thousands of officials and their families. The Biden and Trump administrations have criticized the elections and the government’s consolidation of power, with the State Department affirming support for the aspirations of the Nicaraguan people for a free country, according to officials.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
