Nicaragua: Ortega proposes extending the presidential term for another year

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, in power since 2007, has submitted a draft constitutional reform aimed at extending the presidential term by one year. The National Assembly, loyal to the regime, is expected to ratify it in September.

At 80 years old and after nineteen years at the helm of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega is seeking to push the boundaries of his power even further. The constitutional reform he is proposing not only extends the presidential term, but also bans members of the opposition, whom he labels "traitors" or "conspirators," from running for office.

This is not the first time the rules of the game have been changed to his advantage. In 2014, the National Assembly removed the limit on the number of presidential terms. In 2024, it extended the term from five to six years. The same institution also approved the appointment of his wife, Rosario Murillo, as "co-president," paving the way for her to succeed him should Ortega be declared "permanently absent"—a possibility made plausible by his fragile health.

The last presidential elections were held in November 2021. The election, won by Ortega, took place after a severe crackdown on the opposition: candidates likely to garner a significant number of votes were arrested, disqualified, or forced into exile. Only a handful of little-known candidates, without a real electoral base, were allowed to run.

Since then, the human rights situation has not improved. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has warned that government repression has intensified further, with a continued erosion of the rule of law and increasing persecution of political dissidents.

Public criticism of the regime remains extremely rare in Nicaragua since security forces crushed anti-government protests in 2018, killing more than 300 people. Exiled opponents are no less affected: many have been stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship, and the property they left behind has been confiscated and sold by the Ortega government.