Nicaragua's Ortega Declares Elections Abolished Forever

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has declared that elections will never again be held in the country. The 80-year-old leader made the announcement during his first public appearance in two months.

"There will be no more elections in which someone tries to seize power. The days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas could return to power are over — over for good," Ortega said.

Nicaragua's last elections were held in 2021, and their legitimacy was widely questioned: ahead of the vote, Ortega ordered the detention of political opponents and business leaders, effectively criminalizing any form of resistance to his rule.

Last year, the president further consolidated his personal power through a series of constitutional reforms. Notably, his wife, Rosario Murillo, was appointed co-president of the country, CNN reports.

The country is effectively ruled by two people

According to analysts and exiled opposition politicians, Ortega's statement merely confirmed what was already widely known: Nicaragua is run by two people who control virtually every branch of the state — from the armed forces to the judiciary.

Experts note that such a move betrays the regime's fear of a strong opposition movement emerging. It appears that Ortega and Murillo are well aware they no longer enjoy popular support.

"Ortega and Murillo clearly fear that even the smallest political opening could create space for public discontent and threaten their grip on power. Rather than staging another rigged election, they chose to scrap the electoral process altogether," said Tiziano Breda, an analyst at the non-profit organization ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project).

The US State Department has yet to respond to the Nicaraguan president's statement. However, the administration of President Donald Trump has previously described Ortega's government as dictatorial and imposed sanctions on more than 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their relatives.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz