Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., has criticized Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, labeling him a "communist dictator" after his administration announced the country would no longer hold elections.
In a social media post on Monday, Salazar stated, "After Cuba, Nicaragua is next." This remark followed Ortega's announcement on Sunday that "There won't be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power." Ortega also reportedly said, "The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over - never again."
Salazar elaborated on her criticism in a subsequent post on X, stating, "When a communist dictator knows the people would vote him out, he takes away their vote. Repression, fear, and force become the only way to stay in power. The Ortega-Murillo regime has declared war on the Nicaraguan people’s right to choose their own future." Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, reportedly serves as co-president.
Salazar also emphasized the U.S. should support the Nicaraguan people and increase pressure on the regime. "The United States must stand unequivocally with the people of Nicaragua, increase the pressure on this despicable regime, and ensure that those responsible for its crimes are held accountable," she added.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Salazar's sentiments. "Daniel Ortega’s declaration that under his family’s dictatorship Nicaragua will never again hold elections lays bare their true authoritarian nature," Rubio said. "Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have abandoned even the pretense of popular consent."
Rubio asserted that the Nicaraguan people have the right to democratic elections and called on the international community to unite against the dictatorship. "The United States calls on the international community to join forces to demonstrate to the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship that it cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere," he stated.
Salazar further detailed Ortega's actions, noting that his regime "killed more than 300 peaceful protesters in 2018, jailed opposition candidates before elections, exiled priests, stripped hundreds of Nicaraguans of their citizenship, and has now abolished elections altogether." She concluded, "Communist dictators don't fear losing elections. They fear having them. His day will come."