Ortega Announces End of Future Elections in Nicaragua

President Daniel Ortega told a crowd commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution that Nicaragua will not hold any further elections, saying the country will no longer allow opponents to "seize the government and seize power." Ortega, who has led the nation since 2007 and previously in the 1980s, said the era of parties backed by the United States and the former Somoza regime is over.

The remarks were made as Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, continue to consolidate control over legislative, judicial and electoral bodies following constitutional reforms that took effect in 2025. Those changes extended the presidential term to six years and elevated Murillo to the title of "co-president," placing most branches of government under presidential authority, according to United Nations experts.

Human-rights observers note that meaningful electoral competition has been absent in past elections, with opposition leaders arrested, exiled or stripped of citizenship, and independent parties losing legal status. A United Nations panel has accused the Ortega-Murillo administration of systematic human-rights violations that could constitute crimes against humanity.

The United States has imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on Nicaraguan officials and their families, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. stands with Nicaraguans seeking a free nation.

"There won't be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power," Ortega said.

"The days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas would return to power are over — never again," he added.