Nicaragua's Ortega Announces End to Future Elections

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced that the country will no longer hold elections, effectively closing off any potential for opposition to challenge his government. Ortega, who has been in power since 2007, made the declaration during a speech on July 21, 2026, commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution. He stated, "There won't be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power." This announcement follows a series of actions by Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, to consolidate control over Nicaragua's political institutions. The U.S. government has described Ortega's regime as a dictatorship and imposed sanctions on its officials. The Biden administration previously criticized Ortega's actions during the disputed 2021 presidential election, which saw the arrest of opposition figures and the criminalization of dissent. Ortega's government has been accused by United Nations experts of systematically violating human rights and has faced international condemnation for its violent crackdown on protests in 2018, resulting in over 300 deaths.