Nicaragua's Ortega says elections will not return, citing 'brute force'

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega declared that elections will cease to exist, stating, "They will not have elections again. They will not have elections so that they can try to capture the government, capture power. [...] The history of parties put in by the Yanquis, put in by the Somocistas, returning to power is over here. Never, never, never!"

Ortega's pronouncement, made during the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Managua, signals a radical shift in the nation's political landscape. His government, fully controlled by the ruling party, is now tasked with drafting constitutional reforms to formalize this order. This decision marks a historical moment, as an elected president, even one who won through "rigged elections," has opted to eliminate the electoral process as the source of his political authority.

From this point forward, political power will be based not just in reality but also formally on "brute force," effectively ceasing to be political. This is an unprecedented development. Even Fidel Castro in Cuba did not abolish elections; he simply did not hold any, arguing with some justification that his power originated from arms, not the ballot box. Castro's regime disconnected from the democratic traditions of figures like Guiteras and Chibás, and the 1948 Constitution, to forge a "new revolutionary tradition" seen by Guevara and Castro as the start of a continental and global anti-imperialist revolution.

While Castro's regime declared a permanent state of war against "American imperialism," justifying the absence of elections, Ortega's Sandinista movement came to power not only through arms but also with support from the democratic world, including the U.S. under President Carter. Unlike Castroism, Sandinism's task was to build liberal democratic forms, aligning with Latin American democratic norms. The Sandinista movement, originally a democratic front including conservatives and Christians, has now been betrayed by the dictatorial practices of Ortega and Murillo. Ortega's latest move is seen as a "coup de grâce" to his own history.

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They will not have elections again. They will not have elections so that they can try to capture the government, capture power. [...] The history of parties put in by the Yanquis, put in by the Somocistas, returning to power is over here. Never, never, never!