Nicaragua’s Ortega Declares “No More Elections,” Canceling 2027 Vote

(WS News) – Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has declared that the country will hold “no more elections,” effectively canceling the vote scheduled for November 2027 and drawing sharp condemnation from rights groups who say the move cements his nearly two-decade grip on power.

Speaking at a rally marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, Ortega said parties “put in place by the Yankees” would never return to power in Nicaragua. “There won’t be any more elections,” he said. “Never, never, never.” Nicaragua’s Sandinista-controlled National Assembly has since announced plans to pass legislation formally abolishing elections, with lawmakers describing the move as necessary to preserve the country’s “peace, security and stability.”

Ortega, 80, returned to Nicaragua’s presidency in 2007 and has since rewritten the constitution, jailed opposition candidates and stripped critics of their citizenship. He elevated his wife, Rosario Murillo, from vice president to “co-president” last year. The United States does not recognize Ortega’s legitimacy following the widely condemned 2021 election, in which he ran virtually unopposed after imprisoning potential rivals.

Juan Sebastián Chamorro, a 2021 presidential candidate who was jailed before being released to the United States in 2023 along with more than 200 other political prisoners, said the announcement confirms Ortega’s long-standing plan to consolidate one-party rule, comparing it to the political systems in Cuba and China. A United Nations panel of experts has separately accused the Ortega-Murillo government of systematically violating human rights to eliminate criticism and preserve its hold on power.