MEXICO CITY — Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega declared that no elections will be held in the near future, effectively dismantling the country’s remaining democratic processes and consolidating his nearly two decades in power. The announcement, made during the anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, dashed opposition hopes for a delayed but legitimate vote in November 2027.
Ortega’s statement nullified the 2027 election timeline, which had been extended by one year by the government-controlled Congress in 2025. Speaking on the revolution’s anniversary, Ortega emphasized his 20-year grip on power, having rewritten the constitution and suppressed opposition since returning to the presidency in 2007.
Since violent crackdowns in 2018 that killed hundreds, Ortega and his wife, co-President Rosario Murillo, have maintained control through authoritarian measures. The regime declared Ortega the winner of the 2021 election, widely discredited internationally, after imprisoning all viable opposition candidates. The U.S. does not recognize his current presidency.
“There will be no more elections,” Ortega declared, targeting his longtime rival, the United States. “Parties backed by the Yankees or the Somoza dynasty will not return — that narrative is finished.” He repeated, “Never, never, never,” to any future electoral process.
Legal analysts and rights groups view the move as a stark escalation, signaling Ortega’s intent to cement one-party rule. Former candidate Juan Sebastián Chamorro, released from prison in 2023, noted parallels to Cuba and China’s single-party systems.
“The regime fears even minimal political openings could spark dissent,” said Tiziano Breda, a Latin America analyst at ACLED. “Eliminating elections entirely avoids the chaos of manipulated votes,” he added.
Nicaraguan lawyer Danny Ramírez Ayérdiz condemned the move as “a dictatorship shamelessly entrenched in power.” He warned of intensified repression against those demanding democracy or removal of the government.
Political prisoners remain a focal point of criticism: at least 46 detainees are held for their beliefs, according to the Mechanism for Recognition of Political Prisoners, though Nicaragua denies such categorizations. Following a January U.S. raid on Venezuela’s Maduro, the regime pledged prisoner releases but provided no evidence, with reports of a death in custody since.
Since 2018, Nicaragua has shuttered over 5,000 organizations, primarily religious institutions, and expelled thousands. In July, Ortega’s government stripped thousands of lawyers of licenses, a “purge of the legal profession,” criticized by U.N. officials.
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