Nicaragua to End Elections, President Ortega Declares

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega declared on Sunday that the Central American nation will cease holding elections, effectively eliminating any future electoral challenges to his presidency. Ortega, who has continuously held power since 2007 and previously served in the 1980s, framed the decision as a means to prevent the opposition from seizing power.

"There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power," Ortega stated during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution. He asserted that the era of parties backed by the United States or the former Somoza regime returning to power is definitively over. This marks Ortega's first public appearance in two months.

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There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power.

The U.S. State Department has not yet responded to a request for comment. The Trump administration previously characterized Ortega's government as a dictatorship and imposed sanctions on numerous Nicaraguan officials and their relatives. Nicaragua's 2021 election was marred by controversy, with Ortega detaining opponents and business leaders while criminalizing dissent.

Ortega has systematically consolidated his power through constitutional reforms, including appointing his wife, Rosario Murillo, as co-president and extending the presidential term to six years. He and Murillo exert control over nearly all government branches, including the armed forces and judiciary. The U.N. Human Rights Council has accused their government of transforming Nicaragua into an authoritarian state and systematically violating human rights. In 2018, Ortega's government responded to anti-government protests with a crackdown that resulted in over 300 deaths.

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The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over never again.