Mayors who 'haven't done anything' are re-elected, municipal employees claim amid reform

Municipal employees in Nicaragua are voicing deep frustration and disappointment over the re-election of mayors they describe as failures, citing years of mismanagement. Rodrigo, a technical employee at a small southern municipality for over 20 years, calls the current municipal authorities "a failure" who remain in power despite "poor management."

"The mayor is a woman who has no idea of municipal management and in her third re-elected term, she still hasn't learned anything. It's regrettable that I can count the works they have done on one hand, and I still have fingers left over," Rodrigo stated. He added that despite poor performance evaluations and near-dismissals, these officials continue in their posts, with the latest reform set to extend their terms further.

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The mayor is a woman who has no idea of municipal management and in her third re-elected term, she still hasn't learned anything. It's regrettable that I can count the works they have done on one hand, and I still have fingers left over.

This sentiment is amplified by a proposed "patch" to the Political Constitution, ordered by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. The initiative, still under debate and not yet fully published, would extend the terms of 153 mayors, 153 vice-mayors, and 6,014 council members from four to seven years. This effectively postpones new elections, originally slated for 2026, until 2029. Gustavo Porras, president of the National Assembly, confirmed this timeline, stating that mayors would be elected in 2029 for seven-year terms.

Rodrigo views this extension as "luck for inept mayors," noting that while some municipal authorities have been good, others have demonstrated poor management. He believes that in a true democracy, many of these officials would never have been re-elected. He alleges that irregularities found in audits are often overlooked due to the officials' ties to the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Elena, another municipal employee, contrasts this by stating she earned her position through professional capacity, not party affiliation, during a previous liberal administration.

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Lo peor es que a pesar de que ha sido mal evaluada su gestión en auditorías y ha estado a punto de ser destituida, ahí sigue y ahora ya se nos dijo que seguirá en el cargo.