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Nicaragua Will Hold No Further Elections, President Ortega States
President Daniel Ortega announced on July 19 that Nicaragua will hold no more elections. The declaration came during a speech marking the 47th anniversary of the Nicaraguan Revolution in Managua. Ortega said the step prevents opposition forces from seizing power.
Jul 20, 4:49 PM·1m read10 sources
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President Daniel Ortega stated on July 19 that Nicaragua will hold no further elections. He spoke during an event in Managua commemorating the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution. “There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize the government and seize power,” Ortega said.
Ortega has served as president since 2007 after an earlier term from 1985 to 1990. In 2025 the government extended the presidential term to six years and named his wife, Rosario Murillo, as co-president. The 2021 presidential election drew international criticism after authorities detained opposition candidates and restricted dissent.
More than 300 people died in a 2018 government crackdown on protests. Since then the government has revoked the citizenship of hundreds of Nicaraguans. The United Nations Human Rights Council has accused Nicaraguan officials of arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions, and persecution of civil society and the media.
Ortega has also detained former Sandinista comrades who fought alongside him in the 1979 revolution.
