Nicaragua's congress announced plans to abolish elections in the Central American nation, enacting President Daniel Ortega's declaration that there would be no further electoral contests. Lawmakers stated that a planned constitutional overhaul is intended to ensure Nicaragua's "peace, security and stability."
This move fulfills Ortega's recent statement that he would not allow opposition parties to "seize the government and seize power" through elections. He declared, "The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over — never again."
Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, have been consolidating their control over the country's political institutions. Sweeping constitutional changes that took effect in 2025 extended the presidential term from five to six years and placed legislative, judicial, and electoral institutions under the authority of the presidency. The pair now effectively control most branches of government, including the armed forces, police, and judiciary. Ortega's current term extends until early 2028, but his recent statement has effectively canceled the next scheduled elections, which were due in November 2027.
Critics argue that Ortega had already eliminated meaningful electoral competition in the elections of 2011, 2016, and 2021. Many prominent opposition leaders have been imprisoned, forced into exile, or stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship, while opposition parties and independent civic organizations have lost their legal status.
A United Nations group of experts has accused the Ortega-Murillo government of systematically violating human rights as part of a campaign to suppress criticism and maintain power, alleging that some violations may constitute crimes against humanity. The government's violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018 resulted in over 300 deaths, according to international human rights groups.
President Ortega's decision to abolish elections has been met with widespread condemnation from foreign governments. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Ortega's declaration "lays bare their true authoritarian nature" and that the leaders have "abandoned even the pretense of popular consent." Blinken urged the international community to unite in pressuring the Nicaraguan government, asserting that "the Nicaraguan people have the right to choose their own leaders through democratic elections."
The U.S. State Department has previously described the Ortega-Murillo government as a dictatorship and has imposed sanctions on government officials and their allies, along with visa restrictions targeting more than 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their family members.
Volker Türk, the United Nations' high commissioner for human rights, denounced the legislative plans, stating that "people of all political viewpoints must be allowed to vote and run for office." He added that these developments "further deepen the severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, the dismantling of civic space, and the steady erosion of the rule of law."