Nicaragua's Ortega declares elections will not be held
President Daniel Ortega, 80, announced during the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Managua that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections. He said the move is to prevent the opposition from “seizing the government and the power” and pledged to work with the National Assembly to pass laws that will create a “wall” against “coup plotters” and “traitors”. The declaration follows a 2025 constitutional reform that made Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo, co‑president, extended the presidential term to six years and pushed the next scheduled vote from November 2026 to November 2027. International actors, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and bodies such as the UN and OAS, condemned the statement as evidence of a dictatorial regime. Critics note that the announcement effectively ends any prospect of democratic alternation, adds to an already repressive environment where opponents are imprisoned, exiled or stripped of citizenship, and may trigger further sanctions.