Nicaragua's Ortega Declares No Future Elections Amid Power Grab

WHO:

ABC News - Tiziano Breda, Latin America senior analyst at the NGO Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, described Ortega and Murillo's announcement as sealing the country’s transition to a full-fledged family dictatorship.

CNN - Felix Maradiaga, a presidential hopeful for the opposition who was jailed from 2021 to 2023, stated that Ortega's comments reflect a "confession of fear."

ABC News - Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega

The Guardian - Ortega's wife and "co-president," Rosario Murillo

The Guardian - Tiziano Breda, Latin America senior analyst at the NGO Armed Conflict Location and Event Data

The Guardian - The US state department

The Guardian - Brooklyn Rivera, 73, Indigenous leader and four-term congressman

WHAT:

AP News - Ortega's announcement effectively canceled Nicaragua’s next elections, originally scheduled for November 2027, after the government-controlled Congress voted in January 2025 to extend the presidential term from five years to six years.

CNN - Ortega stated, “There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power,” during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution.

NPR - Ortega declared himself the winner of the 2021 election, which was widely viewed as illegitimate by the international community, after jailing all the candidates who could have possibly beaten him.

AP News - Ortega's announcement effectively canceled Nicaragua’s next elections, originally scheduled for November 2027.

AP News - Ortega stated, “There won’t be anymore elections,” during a speech criticizing the United States.

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

The Guardian - Ortega's comments were made during a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution, marking his first public appearance in 61 days.

The Guardian - Ortega's regime has been accused of carrying out a violent crackdown in 2018 that resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people.

AP News - Ortega announced that the next elections, originally scheduled for November 2027, have effectively been canceled.

AP News - Ortega's government-controlled Congress voted in January 2025 to extend the presidential term from five years to six years.

AP News - Ortega stated, “Never, never, never,” regarding any future elections.

AP News - At least 46 people are currently behind bars in Nicaragua for political reasons, according to the Mechanism for Recognition of Political Prisoners group.

ABC News - Ortega's announcement reflects his effort to extend his nearly 20-year rule.

The Guardian - Ortega stated, “We will work with the National Assembly and the relevant institutions on laws, because we need laws that build a wall, a barrier, against the coup plotters and the traitors who sell out their country.”

CNN - Ortega's comments were made during his first public appearance in two months.

CNN - The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on more than 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their relatives.

The Guardian - The UN, the US, human rights organizations, and 30 former Ibero-American presidents have directly blamed Ortega and Murillo for the death of Brooklyn Rivera, who spent nearly three years “unjustly imprisoned” by the regime.

The Guardian - Ortega's regime has implemented constitutional reforms that included extending the presidential term from five to six years and promoting his wife, Rosario Murillo, to the position of “co-president.”

The Guardian - Ortega's regime has been accused of transforming Nicaragua into an authoritarian state and systematically violating human rights.

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

CNN - Ortega described the end of elections as a measure to prevent the return of parties backed by the United States and the Somocistas, declaring, “The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over - never again.”

ABC News - Ortega announced that Nicaragua will not hold elections anytime soon.

The Guardian - Ortega stated that the country will hold no further elections to prevent the opposition from coming to power.

The Guardian - Ortega plans to work with the controlled congress to pass new laws to "build a wall" against the opposition.

The Guardian - Ortega's regime has stripped 546 people of their citizenship and shut down more than 5,600 non-governmental organizations, 29 universities, and 58 media outlets.

The Guardian - There are about 50 political prisoners in Nicaragua.

WHERE:

ABC News - Nicaragua

The Guardian - The announcement was made during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution.

WHEN:

The Guardian - Ortega's announcement was made during a speech on a Sunday.

The Guardian - The elections were due to take place next year.

WHY:

The Guardian - Ortega claimed that preventing the opposition from returning to power is necessary to protect the country from “coup plotters” who he alleges were behind the nationwide protests of 2018.

AP News - Danny Ramírez Ayérdiz described Ortega's announcement as revealing "the face of a dictatorship that, without any shame, has entrenched itself in power."

CNN - Ortega claimed that preventing the opposition from returning to power is necessary to protect the country from "coup plotters" who he alleges were behind the nationwide protests of 2018.

The Guardian - Ortega claimed that the decision to eliminate elections is necessary to protect the country from “coup plotters” who he alleges were behind the nationwide protests of 2018.

The Guardian - Ortega claimed that preventing the opposition from returning to power is necessary to protect the country from "coup plotters."

The Guardian - Ortega's administration is described as having a steady erosion of democracy, leading to the decision to eliminate electoral competition.

HOW:

AP News - The Ortega-Murillo government has stripped 546 people of their citizenship and shut down more than 5,600 non-governmental organizations, 29 universities, and 58 media outlets.

AP News - The Ortega-Murillo government has stripped many released political prisoners of their Nicaraguan citizenship and belongings.

The Guardian - Ortega indicated plans to work with the National Assembly and relevant institutions to create laws that act as barriers against the opposition.

The Guardian - Ortega's regime outlawed opposition parties and jailed all opposition presidential hopefuls during the 2021 campaign.

The Guardian - Ortega plans to work with the National Assembly and relevant institutions to create laws that act as barriers against the opposition.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 22:18 UTC)

Nicaraguan President Ortega has announced the cancellation of the country's upcoming elections, which were set for November 2027, following a controversial decision by the government-controlled Congress to extend presidential terms from five to six years. During a speech marking the anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution, Ortega declared, “There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power,” while justifying his actions as a means to protect the nation from alleged coup plotters. His administration has also taken drastic measures, stripping 546 individuals of their citizenship and closing down over 5,600 non-governmental organizations, 29 universities, and 58 media outlets.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 19:24 UTC)

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has announced that there will be no more elections in the country, effectively canceling the next elections that were scheduled for November 2027. During a speech commemorating the 1979 Sandinista revolution, Ortega criticized the United States and declared that the days of parties backed by the U.S. returning to power are over. This marked his first public appearance in 61 days, amid ongoing accusations against his regime for a violent crackdown in 2018 that resulted in the deaths of over 350 people.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 16:23 UTC)

Nicaragua's President Ortega has announced that the elections scheduled for November 2027 have been effectively canceled, stating emphatically, “Never, never, never,” regarding any future elections. This announcement follows a controversial decision by Ortega's government-controlled Congress in January 2025 to extend the presidential term from five years to six years, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures like Danny Ramírez Ayérdiz, who called it a clear indication of a dictatorship. Additionally, the Ortega-Murillo government has stripped many released political prisoners of their Nicaraguan citizenship and belongings, with at least 46 individuals currently imprisoned for political reasons.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 15:31 UTC)

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has announced plans to work with the National Assembly on new laws aimed at creating barriers against what he calls coup plotters and traitors, as he seeks to extend his nearly 20-year rule. This statement came during his first public appearance in two months, and it follows significant sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on over 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their families. Additionally, the UN, the US, human rights organizations, and 30 former Ibero-American presidents have pointed fingers at Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, for the death of Brooklyn Rivera, who was imprisoned for nearly three years under their regime.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 05:55 UTC)

Tiziano Breda, a senior analyst at the NGO Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, described President Ortega and Rosario Murillo's recent announcement as sealing Nicaragua's transition to a full-fledged family dictatorship. In response, opposition presidential hopeful Felix Maradiaga, who was jailed from 2021 to 2023, stated that Ortega's comments reveal a "confession of fear." The regime has implemented constitutional reforms extending the presidential term from five to six years and promoting Murillo to the role of co-president, while Ortega claims these measures are necessary to protect the country from what he describes as "coup plotters."

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 02:52 UTC)

Nicaraguan President Ortega has announced that there will be no more elections in the country, stating this decision is aimed at preventing the return of U.S.-backed parties and those associated with the Somocistas. He claims that eliminating elections is necessary to protect Nicaragua from what he calls "coup plotters," whom he alleges were responsible for the protests in 2018. To implement this change, Ortega plans to collaborate with the National Assembly and other institutions to establish laws that will serve as barriers against the opposition.

(UPDATED July 21, 2026 01:26 UTC)

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has announced that the country will not hold elections anytime soon, stating that this decision is aimed at preventing the opposition from coming to power. During a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution, Ortega revealed plans to collaborate with a controlled congress to pass new laws that will further restrict opposition activities, following a pattern of democratic erosion that has seen 546 people stripped of their citizenship and numerous organizations shut down. The announcement comes as Ortega's administration continues to face criticism for its crackdown on dissent, which includes the jailing of opposition presidential candidates and the outlawing of opposition parties.