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🇳🇮 Nicaragua /Elections & Politics

US urges countries to stop trading with Nicaragua after reform threatens free elections

From Confidencial · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • The United States urged international partners to stop normal commercial operations with Nicaragua after lawmakers advanced a constitutional reform affecting elections and presidential terms.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo of undermining democracy and violating human rights.
  • The reform still requires approval by Nicaragua's next National Assembly in 2027 before it can take effect.

Washington is calling for an immediate freeze in normal trade with Nicaragua after the country's legislature advanced a constitutional reform that the United States says would shut the door on free elections.

undermined Nicaragua's democratic fiction

— Marco RubioThe US secretary of state described the constitutional reform's impact on Nicaragua's political system.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the National Assembly, controlled by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, had "undermined Nicaragua's democratic fiction" in order to "consolidate their illegitimate dynasty and indefinitely deprive Nicaraguans of free and fair elections." He urged US international partners to end routine commercial dealings with what he called "this brutal dictatorship."

Rubio argued that governments that deny their citizens' inalienable rights should not receive the same economic or political benefits as governments committed to peace and security in the hemisphere. He also said Ortega and Murillo's "war against democracy threatens regional stability and prosperity."

consolidate their illegitimate dynasty and indefinitely deprive Nicaraguans of free and fair elections

— Marco RubioRubio accused Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo of using the reform to entrench their rule.

The reform passed its first of two required legislative stages one day before Rubio's statement. It would bar people labeled "traitors to the homeland" from elected office and extend the presidential term to seven years. The measure was promoted by Ortega, a former Sandinista guerrilla who has governed Nicaragua since 2007. He has led the country with his wife, Rosario Murillo, since 2017, when a 2025 constitutional reform made her co-president.

The United States urges its international partners to immediately end normal commercial operations with this brutal dictatorship

— Marco RubioRubio called for international action against Nicaragua's government.

The measure must also be approved by the National Assembly elected in 2027 before entering into force. The Organization of American States' Permanent Council approved a foreign ministers' meeting on Nicaragua in mid-August. Washington has accused Managua of repressing and persecuting opponents and weakening democratic institutions, and has imposed sanctions on officials and state institutions. Rubio said the Trump administration would continue pursuing measures over human rights violations and support Nicaraguans' right to decide their country's future.

The war by Murillo and Ortega against democracy threatens regional stability and prosperity

— Marco RubioRubio framed Nicaragua's political direction as a threat to the region.
About this summary

Originally published by Confidencial in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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