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OAS foreign ministers to discuss measures against Nicaragua over election exclusion
🇵🇦 Panama /Elections & Politics

OAS foreign ministers to discuss measures against Nicaragua over election exclusion

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The Organization of American States (OAS) will hold an urgent meeting of foreign ministers to discuss actions against Nicaragua's government.
  • This meeting, requested by the United States, addresses Nicaragua's plan to exclude the opposition from upcoming elections.
  • Nicaragua's Congress, controlled by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, is set to approve a constitutional reform that would bar adversaries from elections and extend presidential terms to seven years.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is preparing for an "urgent" meeting of foreign ministers to address Nicaragua's political situation, following a request from the United States. The gathering aims to discuss potential actions against the government of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, who are planning to exclude opposition parties from upcoming elections.

The repetition of condemnations without significant institutional action teaches Murillo and Ortega that they can simply wait for us to get tired.

— Michael KozakKozak, from the U.S. State Department, expressed frustration with the OAS's past responses to Nicaragua.

Nicaragua's Congress, currently under the control of Ortega and Murillo, is expected to approve a constitutional reform that would effectively bar political adversaries from participating in elections. This reform also proposes extending the presidential mandate to seven years, which would be renewable. The move comes amid widespread criticism of the government's authoritarian grip on the country, particularly after the violent repression of 2018 protests, which resulted in an estimated 350 deaths and hundreds of thousands of exiles, according to UN figures.

The proposal for the extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers was approved by 29 votes in favor, with Brazil voting against and Mexico abstaining. This decision followed a call from the U.S. State Department, urging "real actions" against the Ortega-Murillo regime. Michael Kozak, head of the State Department's Office of Latin American Affairs, expressed frustration with the OAS's past condemnations, stating, "The repetition of condemnations without significant institutional action teaches Murillo and Ortega that they can simply wait for us to get tired."

A crushing victory for democracy in Nicaragua.

— Juan Sebastián ChamorroChamorro, an exiled opposition figure, reacted to the OAS decision to hold a meeting.

While the OAS has issued numerous statements condemning Nicaragua in recent years, a meeting of foreign ministers could lead to more substantial measures, such as diplomatic ruptures or economic pressure. Nicaragua withdrew from the OAS in November 2023, making expulsion, similar to Cuba's in 1962, not applicable. Opposition figures in exile welcomed the OAS decision, with former presidential pre-candidate Juan Sebastián Chamorro calling it a "crushing victory for democracy in Nicaragua." In response, Murillo denounced opponents as "mercenaries," "traitors," and "cowards."

Mercenaries, traitors, and cowards.

— Rosario MurilloMurillo denounced opponents following the OAS vote.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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