At Sandinista anniversary, Nicaragua's Ortega rules out future elections to keep opposition out

Announcement at the Sandinista anniversary

On July 19, 2026, during the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Managua, President Daniel Ortega declared that Nicaragua would hold no more elections. Ortega, now 80, first rose to power as a guerrilla commander in the 1979 uprising that overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza. Speaking before thousands of supporters, he said his government would draft new laws to block what he called “coup plotters” and US-backed parties from ever returning to power.

They can forget it, here in Nicaragua there will be no more elections where they could try to take over the government and seize power.

Ortega accused the opposition of constant plotting and seeking to form parties that could win a hypothetical vote. He vowed that the era of “Yankee-installed” parties governing Nicaragua was over forever.

Constitutional changes that paved the way

The announcement follows a series of constitutional reforms that have steadily concentrated power. The FSLN had already extended the presidential term from five to six years in 2005. In 2014, term limits were abolished, allowing Ortega to run indefinitely. He began his current stretch in 2007 and won re-election in 2011, 2016, and 2021. A reform adopted roughly a year and a half ago extended the presidential term to six years, pushing the next elections from November 2026 to 2027. That same reform dismantled the separation of powers and granted Ortega and his wife, co-president Rosario Murillo, near-absolute authority.

Legislative elections had been scheduled for November 2026, but the term extension effectively delayed them. Ahead of the 2021 vote, Ortega jailed all seven potential opposition candidates, securing a fourth consecutive term that the United States and the European Union deemed illegitimate. Both have imposed sanctions on Nicaraguan officials.

Opposition in exile and international pressure

Nicaragua’s opposition movement now operates largely from exile. Its leaders hope that sustained international pressure will force a transition or the restoration of elections. Exiled opposition figures have called for the international community to impose further sanctions and push for a return to democratic norms. The US and EU have consistently criticized Ortega’s authoritarian rule, but concrete steps to reverse the consolidation of power have been limited.

The history of parties installed by the Yankees returning to government is finished, forever.

Ortega’s rhetoric frames the opposition as foreign proxies, a narrative that resonates with his base but isolates Nicaragua further from Western democracies.

What comes next

Ortega said he would work with the National Assembly to create legal barriers against “traitors” and “coup plotters.” The 2027 presidential vote, already pushed back by constitutional reform, now appears unlikely to take place. With the opposition abroad and international sanctions in place, Nicaragua moves closer to a one-party state under the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), which has governed since 2007.