Overview
- President Daniel Ortega said on Sunday that Nicaragua "will not have elections again" and announced plans to prevent the opposition from returning to government through new laws.
- Ortega directed the National Assembly, which is controlled by his Frente Sandinista party, to prepare unspecified legal measures but no draft texts or formal amendments have been published.
- The declaration builds on a February 2025 constitutional overhaul that created a male‑female copresidency, extended the presidential term to six years, and centralized control of state institutions under the executive.
- The United States, the Organization of American States, Costa Rica and exiled opposition leaders condemned the announcement and warned it deepens Nicaragua’s international isolation and could bring further sanctions.
- Human rights groups note the country’s longer trend of repression since 2018, with hundreds killed then and dozens still held as political prisoners, and analysts say the move risks more legal repression and tightens a family‑led hold on power.