Nicaraguan President Plans Constitutional Changes, Seeks to Bar Opposition from Elections

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is seeking to amend the constitution to prevent "traitors" and opposition members planning coups from participating in future elections. The proposed reforms, sent to Congress on Tuesday, also aim to extend presidential terms from six to seven renewable years. Lawmakers are expected to approve the changes in September.

This move follows Ortega's recent statement that elections would never again be held in the country to prevent opposition attempts to "take over the government and seize power." Nicaragua previously amended its constitution in 2024, extending presidential terms from five to six years and elevating Vice President Rosario Murillo, Ortega's wife, to the role of "co-president."

Ortega, a former leftist guerrilla, has been in power since 2007. He first came to prominence in 1979 after leading the Sandinista Revolution, which overthrew the Somoza dictatorship. He officially became president after winning the 1984 elections.

The United States considers Nicaragua a dictatorship under Ortega's rule and has imposed sanctions on 2,350 officials and their relatives. The European Union has also imposed sanctions. Nearly one million Nicaraguans have fled into exile in Costa Rica, the United States, and Spain over the past eight years.