Nicaragua's Ortega says country won't hold elections soon

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has declared that the country will not hold elections anytime soon, effectively canceling the vote originally scheduled for November 2027. This announcement dashes opposition hopes for a democratic transition and underscores Ortega's efforts to extend his nearly 20-year rule.

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There won't be anymore elections.

Ortega, who returned to the presidency in 2007, has systematically rewritten the constitution, crushed political opposition, and solidified his control over all branches of government. Since mass protests in 2018, which resulted in a bloody government crackdown, Ortega and his wife, co-President Rosario Murillo, have maintained their grip on power. The 2021 election, which saw Ortega declared the winner, was widely viewed as illegitimate internationally after he jailed all potential opponents.

In a speech railing against the United States, Ortega stated, "There won't be anymore elections." He specifically targeted "Parties put in place by the Yankees, put in place by the Somoza regime, coming back to power, that story is over." He emphatically repeated, "Never, never, never," when discussing future elections.

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Parties put in place by the Yankees, put in place by the Somoza regime, coming back to power, that story is over.

Opponents and rights groups see this declaration as a further escalation of Ortega's authoritarianism. Juan Sebastián Chamorro, a former presidential candidate jailed until his release to the U.S. in 2023, stated the announcement reveals Ortega's long-standing plan to consolidate power within the Sandinista party, mirroring one-party states like China and Cuba. Tiziano Breda, a senior Latin America analyst at ACLED, noted that Ortega and Murillo appear fearful of any political opening that could foster dissent. Instead of a rigged election, they have chosen to eliminate electoral competition entirely.

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Never, never, never

Nicaraguan lawyer Danny Ramírez Ayérdiz described the announcement as revealing "the face of a dictatorship that, without any shame, has entrenched itself in power." He warned that this signals a potentially higher level of repression against citizens demanding government change or elections.

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Ortega and Murillo are evidently afraid at the idea that the slightest political opening could create the conditions for dissent to manifest and threaten their grip on power.