Nicaragua’s congress has announced a “work plan” to carry out President Daniel Ortega’s order that the country cease holding elections, a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations and the United States.
The legislature, dominated by Ortega’s ruling party, unveiled the plan on Sunday, days after the president called for “a wall, a blockade” against opposition parties. The steps outlined would effectively bar rival groups from any future political contests and formalize the suspension of national elections.
Ortega has governed Nicaragua since 2007. Following a contested constitutional change last year, he now rules alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo, who holds the title of “co-president.” The reform significantly expanded the couple’s authority over the country’s institutions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the international community to “join forces” against what he described as the authoritarian direction of the Ortega government, calling for coordinated pressure on Managua.
The proposed suspension marks a further consolidation of power under Ortega, whose administration has faced years of criticism over the jailing of opponents, the closure of civil society organizations, and the stripping of citizenship from critics who fled the country.
International observers had already questioned the credibility of recent Nicaraguan elections, in which leading opposition figures were detained or disqualified ahead of the vote. The latest measures would remove even the formal mechanism of balloting.
The debate in congress signals that the plan is likely to advance with little internal resistance, given the ruling party’s near-total control of the legislative body.
Regional governments and human rights bodies are expected to weigh their responses in the coming weeks, as the measures move toward formal adoption and Nicaragua’s political trajectory comes under renewed international scrutiny.