Overview
- President Daniel Ortega publicly declared on Sunday that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections, a decision rights groups say removes the last formal check on his rule.
- The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the announcement, called for the release of people held arbitrarily and warned the decision further erodes civic space and the rule of law.
- U.S. politicians, including Senator Marco Rubio, sharply criticized Ortega’s dismissal of elections and exile opposition groups say the announcement dashes hopes that foreign pressure could restore competitive polls.
- A 2024 constitutional reform that extended presidential terms and elevated Rosario Murillo to copresident already concentrated power in the executive and left general elections scheduled for 2027.
- Opinion columns have criticized Mexico’s muted diplomatic response, and rights reporting points to real human costs from past tactics — mass arrests, revocation of nationality and persecution of clergy — that could intensify if electoral contest is ended.