OAS to convene foreign ministers over Nicaragua election threat

The Organization of American States (OAS) has approved an urgent, though unscheduled, meeting of its foreign ministers to discuss Nicaragua's political crisis. The decision comes after Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega threatened to cancel the country's upcoming elections.

The resolution, which garnered support from 26 member states with Mexico abstaining and Brazil voting against, proposes "the highest level of diplomatic consultation available" within the OAS. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Kozak, urged the organization to move beyond mere words, stating, "OAS member states have an obligation to address matters of common interest to the states of the Americas and we must not be idle there simply condemning actions. We have a mechanism under the charter and we must use it."

This latest resolution follows previous condemnations by OAS members regarding the deterioration of democracy and the current "emergency" situation under Ortega's government. Nicaragua officially withdrew from the OAS in 2023 after President Ortega initiated the process to leave the organization due to its criticism of his presidential election re-election. The OAS General Assembly had previously disqualified the November 7, 2021, presidential elections, deeming them "not free, fair, nor transparent" as key opposition candidates were imprisoned.

Nicaragua has been governed by Ortega, an 80-year-old former Sandinista guerrilla leader, since 2007. Since 2017, he has governed alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo, who initially served as vice president and, following a constitutional reform in 2025, assumed the role of co-president. The United States has accused Murillo of creating the co-presidency position without an election, mandate, or legitimacy. While general elections were initially scheduled for November 2026, constitutional amendments extended the presidential term, pushing the next elections to November 2027. However, Ortega declared on July 19 that "there will be no more elections here for them (the opposition) to try to seize the government, to seize power."

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The states members of the OEA have the obligation to address issues that are of common interest to the states of the Americas and we do not have to be idle there simply condemning actions. We have a mechanism under the charter and we have to use it.