Ortega’s Nicaragua rewrites its Constitution and buries electoral competition

Nicaragua’s ruling Sandinista majority has approved the first stage of a far-reaching constitutional reform that closes electoral space for opponents and extends presidential terms to seven years. The amendment still requires a second vote and is scheduled for ratification on Jan. 18, 2027.

The reform explicitly bars from elections anyone authorities classify as a “traitor to the homeland.” The label has been applied to at least 452 opposition figures and critics who were stripped of their nationality, including writers Sergio Ramírez and Gioconda Belli. The ban also covers people accused of taking part in an attempted or completed coup, as well as those who seek foreign sanctions or funding.

In practice, the provisions could allow authorities to exclude opposition groups and government critics indefinitely from competing for elected office. The amendment was approved unanimously by a show of hands during a special session held on Tuesday.

The reform also increases the terms of officials elected by popular vote from six to seven years. The same change applies to officials elected or ratified by the National Assembly, including the army and police chiefs. Nicaragua had been due to hold general elections in November 2026, but constitutional amendments adopted in 2025 extended the presidential term from five to six years, pushing the vote to November 2027. Under the latest reform, elections would be held in November 2028.

The proposed constitutional text adds a principle of sovereignty that rejects the extraterritorial application of foreign laws, except where it follows agreements signed on behalf of the Nicaraguan state. The changes are intended to further consolidate power around co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. Ortega, a former Sandinista guerrilla who has governed since 2007, has held power in Nicaragua longer than any other person, including through a governing junta from 1979 to 1985 and his first presidency from 1985 to 1990.