Overview
- President Daniel Ortega publicly said on July 19 that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections, and the National Assembly has announced plans to pursue a constitutional overhaul to formalize that declaration.
- Lawmakers loyal to Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo are seeking legal changes that would remove competitive voting after a 2025 reform already centralized the presidency, judiciary and electoral bodies and elevated Murillo to co‑president.
- Rights groups report ongoing repression on the ground, with about 50 people held as political prisoners, hundreds more exiled, 546 citizenships revoked, and thousands of NGOs, media outlets and universities shut down.
- The United Nations and U.S. officials condemned the move, urged protection for political opponents, and analysts recommended coordinated, targeted measures such as sanctions on regime networks rather than broad energy cutoffs or military action.
- The shift deepens a personalized, family‑centered hold on power that officials say raises the risk of economic isolation and creates openings for policies that pressure regime insiders and support an organized, exiled opposition to plan a peaceful transition.