Daniel Ortega says there will be no more elections in Nicaragua

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has announced that competitive elections for power will no longer be held in the country. He explicitly stated that opposition forces would not be allowed to return to government through voting.

However, Ortega did not clarify the legal mechanism through which the decision to cancel elections would be implemented. His statement has intensified concerns about the further centralization of political power in the country.

“There will be no more elections”

Ortega made these remarks at an event marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution. He accused the opposition of being supported by the United States and supporters of the former Somoza regime.

“There will be no more elections here where they try to seize government and power. The times when parties supported by Yankees and Somocistas could return to power are gone,” Ortega said.

The Nicaraguan leader also announced that new rules would be developed to restrict opposition forces from participating in elections. However, it remains unclear whether future voting processes will be completely abolished or if only certain parties will be excluded.

What will happen to the 2027 election?

The next election in Nicaragua was expected to be held in 2027. Ortega's new statement has cast doubt on this political process as well.

In 2025, the government-controlled parliament extended the presidential term from five to six years and introduced comprehensive changes to the power structure. Following those reforms, Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, officially received the status of “co-president.”

How long has Ortega been in power?

80-year-old Daniel Ortega is one of the historical leaders of the Sandinista movement. He served in the country's leadership after the 1979 revolution, was president in the 1980s, and lost in the 1990 election.

Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007 and has been ruling the country continuously since then. In recent years, the government has been accused of imprisoning political opponents, stripping them of citizenship, and restricting the activities of independent organizations and media.

Opposition and human rights defenders are concerned

Opposition representatives assessed Ortega's statement as a sign that the electoral path for power transition in the country is being completely closed. Human rights defenders emphasize that this decision will bring Nicaragua even closer to a system controlled by one party and one family.

So far, the Nicaraguan government has not announced the exact legal procedure for canceling elections. However, Ortega's explicit statement that “there will be no more elections” indicates that a new and drastic phase is beginning in the country's political life.