Daniel Ortega sentences the end of alternation in Nicaragua: “Elections will not happen here again”

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has explicitly declared an end to democratic alternation in power, stating that elections will not be held again in the country to prevent the opposition from gaining control.

During a rally commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution in Managua, Ortega asserted, “Here (in Nicaragua) there will be no more elections so that they (the opposition) can try to capture the government, capture power through them.” He accused exiled opposition members of being “crouched” and seeking to win elections solely for personal enrichment.

Ortega, who has governed Nicaragua since 2007 alongside his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, announced plans to work with the National Assembly to enact laws that would create a “wall, a block” against “coup plotters” and “traitors to the homeland,” regardless of funding from the United States.

These remarks follow significant constitutional reforms implemented in February 2025. These amendments expanded the presidential term from five to six years, established a “co-president” role for Murillo, and granted Ortega and Murillo total control over state institutions, which are no longer referred to as powers. These changes have been strongly condemned by the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), the United States, the European Parliament, and Nicaraguan opposition figures.

The U.S. State Department previously accused Murillo of creating the “co-president” position without an election or mandate, stating she knows she cannot win a free electoral process. The department warned that power based on repression and constitutional manipulation does not represent the will of the Nicaraguan people.