Nicaragua’s parliament moves to abolish elections under Ortega’s order, fueling criticisms

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua’s lawmakers said they will carry out a plan by President Daniel Ortega to abolish elections in the Central American country, prompting renewed criticisms Wednesday by the international community.

The move was announced in a statement Tuesday by Nicaragua’s congress, which is firmly in the hands of Ortega and his wife and co-President Rosario Murillo.

It said the latest constitutional overhaul will ensure Nicaragua’s “peace, security and stability.”

The legislature was following through on Ortega’s announcement from the weekend that “there won’t be any more elections,” reflecting both his effort to extend his nearly 20-year rule and remove any chance of the opposition gaining power.

Under Ortega, the government has carried out a sweeping crackdown on dissent following a violent suppression of protests in 2018.

Authorities have jailed opposition politicians, religious leaders and others, and also shut down thousands of civil society organisations in the country.

The congress has repeatedly amended the constitution to concentrate power in Ortega’s hands and eliminate any shred of democratic independence and dissent in the country.

Ortega’s remarks on Sunday, during a speech marking the anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, effectively canceled Nicaragua’s next elections.

The vote was originally scheduled for November 2027 after the government-controlled congress voted in January 2025 to extend the five-year presidential term by one year.

Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, on Wednesday sharply condemned Nicaragua’s developments, saying that “people of all political viewpoints must be allowed to vote and run for office.”

“These latest developments further deepen the severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, the dismantling of civic space, and the steady erosion of the rule of law,” Türk said in a statement.

Nicaragua’s government declined to comment on the criticism, saying in a statement, “Thank you for your interest.”

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