IACHR urges OAS to activate Democratic Charter over Nicaragua's authoritarian shift

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has strongly condemned statements made by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who announced that elections would cease to occur in his country. The commission called upon member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) to utilize available mechanisms, such as the Inter-American Democratic Charter, to reinstate institutional order in Nicaragua.

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My respectful proposal to Morena is that the same rules not be applied, meaning legislators should not separate from their positions, because we would have difficulties incorporating substitutes, given that in some cases there are no substitutes and they are the ones now serving as owners.

In a formal declaration, the IACHR reiterated its appeal to OAS member states to employ the mechanisms provided by the OAS Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other relevant instruments. The goal is to contribute to the restoration of democratic institutions, the rule of law, and the full respect for human rights in Nicaragua, aligning with the principle of collective guarantee within the inter-American system.

Beyond repudiating Ortega's remarks, he governs Nicaragua alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo, the IACHR also denounced a constitutional reform initiative proposed by the National Assembly. This initiative, which is subordinate to the presidency, aims to perpetuate the exercise of power, restrict political competition, and eliminate the necessary conditions for democratic alternation. The reform, presented in the final week of July 2026, proposes extending the copresidency's mandate from six to seven years and making it renewable. It also seeks to enshrine in the constitution restrictions that would prevent the political participation of individuals deemed "coup plotters" or "traitors to the homeland" by the regime, ostensibly to "prevent external interference and stop coup attempts from taking power," according to the Nicaraguan legislature.

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So we do not want legislative work to be interrupted, nor do we want obstacles to the approval of this substantial legislative agenda.

The IACHR specifically warned that the proposed extension of the copresidency's term, the threat to eliminate free, authentic, and competitive elections, and the constitutionalization of restrictions on political rights deepen the process of authoritarian consolidation and the perpetuation of power by eliminating the conditions for democratic alternation. The Commission recalled its special report on Nicaragua, which alerted that a constitutional reform in 2025, modifying over 100 articles of the Magna Carta, "consolidated a regime incompatible with the principles of representative democracy by repealing the separation of powers and concentrating power in the figure of the copresidency of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo." "All these measures are incompatible with Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights and the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," the IACHR denounced. Consequently, the IACHR urged Nicaragua to refrain from adopting reforms contrary to its international obligations.

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This is a substantial, very ambitious, and very important legislative agenda for the country's life: updating the Mexican normative system and also providing responses to many new concerns, demands, and requirements. We have at least twenty urgent topics to deliberate and, if applicable, approve.