Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced that there will be no more elections in the country. Addressing thousands of supporters at celebrations marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, Ortega cited US intervention and Nicaragua's sovereignty as the reason for the decision.
Ortega said, "The story of parties founded by the Yankees (US) or Somozistas (coup plotters) returning to power is over. Never, never, never... No matter how much money the Yankees give them, they will not succeed," adding, "We need to create laws that will build a wall against the coup supporters and traitors."
Accusing the opposition of targeting public funds, Ortega said, "They are only after profiting from schools. But let them forget: Elections that could allow them to try to take over the government and power will never be held here again."
Reactions from the opposition and the US
Ortega's statements drew sharp reactions from both the local opposition and the US. Felix Maradiaga Saenz, one of the opposition figures stripped of citizenship in 2023, argued that the constitution is constantly violated or amended according to the government's interests.
Opposition leader Juan Sebastian Chamorro, who was imprisoned, exiled, and stripped of his citizenship, said Ortega has now openly declared the single-party rule he has practiced de facto for years. Chamorro argued that Ortega aims to establish a permanent single-party system similar to those in China, North Korea, and Cuba.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reacted to Ortega's remarks. In a statement issued through the State Department, Rubio said Daniel Ortega's statements about abolishing elections entirely laid bare the regime's "true authoritarian nature".
Background of the Ortega administration
Ortega, 80, governed Nicaragua in the 1980s after the victory of the Sandinista Revolution, which ended the dictatorship of the Somoza family. He returned to power in 2007 and has been in charge of the country ever since.
In recent years, the Ortega administration has been accused of systematically repressing the opposition, shutting down numerous civil society organizations, and drawing international criticism for targeting journalists, human rights defenders, and activists. Many civil society groups, universities, media outlets, and religious associations have been closed, and the assets of many government critics have been confiscated.
The United Nations (UN) Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua argues that some actions of the Ortega government could constitute crimes against humanity. The Managua government rejects these reports, dismissing them as alleged interventionist attempts.
