Ortega ends elections in Nicaragua

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced on July 20, 2026, that the country will hold no more elections, effectively canceling the next elections scheduled for November 2027. Ortega, who has been in power since 2007, made the declaration during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution. He stated that the move is to prevent opposition parties from returning to power, calling them 'coup plotters' and 'traitors.' Ortega said he would work with the National Assembly to pass laws that 'build a wall' against the opposition. The announcement marks an escalation in Ortega's consolidation of power, following constitutional reforms in 2025 that extended the presidential term to six years and named his wife Rosario Murillo as co-president. The 2021 election was widely disputed after Ortega jailed opposition candidates. Since 2018, the government has cracked down on protests, killing hundreds, and has shuttered thousands of organizations, stripped citizenship from hundreds, and forced many into exile. International bodies, including the UN and the US, have condemned the Ortega-Murillo government as a dictatorship. Analysts view the announcement as a sign of fear of losing power and a move toward a full-fledged family dictatorship.