Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Nicaragua Congress Passes Ortega-Backed Reform Excluding Opposition From Elections
Nicaragua’s lawmakers approved a major change to the country’s constitution.
The change would stop opposition parties from taking part in elections.
It would also make the terms of the country’s co-presidents and some other officials last seven years instead of six.
President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, support the change.
The reform still needs a second vote because Nicaragua’s law requires two legislative approvals.
Murillo said that vote will begin on January 18.
Other countries have criticized the plan as harmful to democracy.
Nicaragua has faced a serious political crisis since protests were repressed in 2018.
Nicaragua’s Congress approved an Ortega-backed constitutional reform in its first legislative vote.
The reform bars opposition parties from participating in elections and extends terms from six to seven years.
The changes cover co-presidents, other elected officials, and the heads of the army and police.
Rosario Murillo said a required second vote on the amendment will begin January 18.
The reform has drawn criticism from the United States and several countries amid Nicaragua’s ongoing political crisis.
- Who
- Nicaragua’s National Assembly, co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, opposition parties, and international critics.
- What
- Congress passed the first vote on a constitutional reform that excludes opposition parties from elections and extends several officials’ terms from six to seven years.
- When
- The first vote occurred on September 1; a second vote is scheduled to begin January 18.
- Where
- Nicaragua.
- Why
- The reform is intended by Ortega and Murillo to prevent the opposition from returning to government; critics say it represents a further democratic setback.
Government Supporters
Opposition and International Critics
Excluding opposition parties
Government Supporters
Daniel Ortega said there should be no more elections that allow the opposition to seize the government again, and his administration backs the reform.
Opposition and International Critics
The United States and several countries in the region criticized the measure as a further setback for democracy.
Extending official terms
Government Supporters
The reform extends terms for the co-presidents and other officials from six to seven years.
Opposition and International Critics
Critics view the extensions, together with the election restrictions, as strengthening Ortega and Murillo’s hold on power.
International response
Government Supporters
The Nicaraguan government is proceeding with the reform through the constitutional process, including a required second legislative vote.
Opposition and International Critics
The United States urged the international community to isolate Nicaragua, while Panama withdrew its ambassador from Managua.
- First vote
- The reform cleared its first vote in Nicaragua’s National Assembly.
- Election participation
- Opposition parties would be barred from participating in elections.
- Term extensions
- Terms for the co-presidents, other elected officials, and the heads of the army and police would increase from six to seven years.
- Required approval
- Nicaraguan law requires constitutional changes to pass in two separate legislative sessions.
- Second vote
- Rosario Murillo announced that ratification would begin January 18.
- Election timing
- A 2024 reform postponed presidential elections, originally scheduled for the end of the referenced year, until late 2027.
- Political crisis
- The government’s repression of 2018 anti-government protests left more than 300 people dead and thousands injured, according to the report.