Nicaraguan president declares end to future elections

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced that the country will no longer hold elections, stating that such processes are tools used by the United States to regain power. During a speech marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, the 80-year-old leader declared that parties backed by foreign interests will never return to power. Ortega, who returned to the presidency in 2007 after a previous tenure in the 1980s, currently governs alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo, whom he appointed as co-president. Recent constitutional changes have extended the presidential term to six years and solidified their control over the military and the judiciary. International observers and the United Nations have previously condemned the administration for transforming the country into an authoritarian state. This follows the 2021 elections, which were held after the imprisonment of major opposition leaders, and a 2018 crackdown on protests that resulted in over 300 deaths. Ortega’s latest statement marks a formal end to the electoral system in Nicaragua.