Nicaragua’s Ortega says country will ‘never again’hold elections, shutting out opposition

[aggregator] downloaded image for imported item #105935

This post was originally published on this site.

Wall Street eyes the midterm election map

Libby Cantrill, Pimco’s Head of Public Policy, outlines how the upcoming midterm elections could reshape markets, tax policy, and the economy.She explains that while the House may flip to Democratic control, the Senate is less likely to change hands, impacting legislative predictability.

Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega said the Central American country would no longer holdelections, further closing off any potential path for the opposition to challenge the government he leads with his wife, Rosario Murillo.

Ortega, Nicaragua’s longest-serving leader, has remained in power since 2007 after previously governing during the 1980s.His current presidential term is scheduled to run through 2027.

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

He delivered the remarks Sunday during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution, in which Ortega participated in the overthrow of the US-backed dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.

TRUMP ADMIN BACKS BOLIVIA STATE OF EMERGENCY AS LEFTIST EX-LEADER’S LOYALISTS FRACTURE NATION

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega said officials in the Central American country will no longer hold elections.(REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

The declaration appeared to eliminate the possibility of a future electoral challenge as Ortega and Murillo continue consolidating control over the country’s political institutions.

“The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over — never again,” Ortega declared.

Read More → Trump spares no one at WHCA dinner, taking aim at Dems, press and his own Cabinet

S.State Department for comment.

Read More → FBI helps take down AI phishing ring

TheTrump administrationhas described the Ortega-Murillo government as a dictatorship and imposed sanctions on members of the government and their allies.The State Department has also enacted visa restrictions targeting more than 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their family members.

“The United States stands with the Nicaraguan people who, like Rivera, aspire to see a free Nicaragua,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in June.

TRUMP EXPANDS CUBA SANCTIONS BEYOND US COMPANIES IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN ENABLERS

Read More → Doctors say 8 forgotten habits could help fight stress, obesity and chronic disease

Daniel Ortega

The Trump administration has described the Ortega government as a dictatorship.(Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg)

The Biden administration previously said Ortega illegitimately awarded himself another term following Nicaragua’s disputed 2021 presidential election.

Authorities arrested presidential candidates, opposition figures, business leaders and journalists ahead of that vote as the government intensified its criminalization of dissent.

Ortega and Murillo further expanded their authority through sweeping constitutional changes that took effect in 2025.The reforms extended the presidential term from five years to six and elevated Murillo from vice president to “co-president.”

The changes also placed Nicaragua’s legislative, judicial and electoral institutions under the authority of the presidency, according to United Nations experts.

Ortega and Murillo now exercise control over nearly every branch of the government, including the armed forces, police and judiciary.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, have control over nearly every aspect of the country’s government.(INTI OCON/AFP)

Ortega had already effectively eliminated meaningful electoral competition during elections in 2011, 2016 and 2021, Salvador Marenco, coordinator of the Costa Rica-based Nicaragua Nunca Más Human Rights Collective, told Reuters.

Many prominent opposition leaders have been imprisoned, forced into exile or stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship, while opposition parties and independent civic organizations have lost their legal status.

Read More → Your Microsoft text codes are going away

A United Nations group of experts has accused the Ortega-Murillo government of systematically violating human rights as part of a campaign to eliminate criticism and preserve its hold on power.The experts said some alleged violations may amount to crimes against humanity.

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

The government launched a violent crackdown onanti-government protestsin 2018.More than 300 people were killed during the unrest, according to international human rights groups.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Must Read

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top