Nicaragua’s President, Daniel Ortega has ruled out future elections, announcing that he will work with the National Assembly to pass new laws that will “build a wall” against the opposition.
In a speech marking the 1979 Sandinista revolution, in which Ortega helped overthrow the Anastasio Somoza dictatorship, he said, “There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government.”
“The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas (the Somoza dynasty) would return to power are over—never again,” 80-year-old Ortega declared.
The long-serving leader shares executive power with his wife, 75-year-old Rosario Murillo, whom he appointed as co-president in February 2025 following constitutional changes.
Ortega has been in office since 2007, after previously serving from 1985 to 1990. The latest proclamation confirms his intention to forcefully remain in power after 2027, when his extended term is scheduled to expire.
Critics had predicted the plot to enforce a one-party regime in the Central American nation, citing suppression, unjust arrests, detention, and blanket criminalization of dissent by the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front.
The last general election, in November 2021, was widely condemned by the international community as the government confined dozens of opposition candidates, political figures, and civil society leaders.
The United States’ current travel advisory for Nicaragua is at Level 3, meaning citizens should reconsider travel due to the risks of crime, health, wrongful detention, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Washington insists the incumbent leadership is illegitimate and has imposed sanctions on over 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and relatives. The Trump administration is expected to respond to Ortega’s abolishment of elections.
Nicaragua President, Ortega bans elections after decades in power