Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced that the country will no longer hold elections, effectively removing any electoral avenue for opposition forces.
The declaration was made during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution, an event in which Ortega participated in the overthrow of the Somoza regime.
Ortega, who has led Nicaragua since 2007 after an earlier tenure in the 1980s, stated that the days when parties backed by the United States or the Somoza supporters could return to power are over.
His current term is scheduled to run through 2027, and constitutional reforms that took effect in 2025 extended the presidential term to six years while elevating Vice President Rosario Murillo to the role of co‑president.
The reforms also placed the nation’s legislative, judicial and electoral bodies under direct presidential authority, consolidating control over the armed forces, police and judiciary.
Opposition figures, including presidential candidates, business leaders and journalists, have been arrested, exiled or stripped of citizenship, while opposition parties and independent civic groups have lost legal status.
Human‑rights experts have accused the government of systematic violations that could constitute crimes against humanity, noting a violent crackdown on protests in 2018 that left more than 300 people dead.
International sanctions have targeted government officials and their families, and visa restrictions have been imposed on thousands of Nicaraguan individuals.
The United States has expressed support for the Nicaraguan people seeking democratic reforms.
