Nicaragua moves to replace Vice Presidency with presidential designees

The National Assembly of Nicaragua is advancing constitutional reforms that would eliminate the office of Vice President. Under the proposed changes to Article 126 of the Political Constitution, the Presidency would instead appoint “designados presidenciales” (presidential designees) to perform functions assigned to them by the executive.

According to Arling Patricia Alonso Gómez, Vice President of the National Assembly, the government claims the process has seen participation from over 500,000 citizens across two stages of national consultation. These consultations, spanning 86 municipalities and 10 departments, are intended to validate reforms aimed at securing stability and the current governance model led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.

The new amendment lacks specific details regarding the number of designees that can be appointed or the precise limits of their authority. Critics and opposition figures suggest the move allows for the discretionary appointment of officials, potentially granting significant executive powers to family members, such as Laureano Ortega Murillo, without clear constitutional constraints.