Nicaragua's Ortega Says Country Will No Longer Hold Elections, Blames US

• Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega announced at a public rally that elections will no longer take place in the country
• The 80-year-old leader, who has been in power since 2007, claimed the opposition is controlled by the United States
• Ortega's government has faced international condemnation over human rights abuses, forced exiles, and the 2021 disputed election

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega told supporters on Sunday that his country would no longer conduct elections, framing the decision as a measure to keep what he described as US-backed opposition forces from returning to power.

Ortega made the announcement during a speech at a ceremony marking the 46th 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," he said. He went on to declare that "the days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas would return to power are over – never again," according to Reuters.

Ortega's grip on power

According to Al Jazeera, Ortega, who is 80 years old and a self-described Marxist, has held the presidency continuously since 2007. His initial return to the office followed elections that the international community questioned.

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He previously served as president between 1985 and 1990, after his Sandinista National Liberation Front helped topple United States-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza.

Over the past several years, his administration has moved to consolidate control. The 2021 presidential election drew widespread condemnation after the government detained opposition figures ahead of the vote. More than 300 people were killed during a crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018, a moment that drew sharp international criticism.

Since then, hundreds of Nicaraguans have had their citizenship revoked, and many others have fled the country to avoid imprisonment.

UN accuses regime of serious abuses

Last year, Nicaragua extended the presidential term to six years, and Ortega's wife, Rosario Murillo, was formally named co-president alongside him.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has accused the couple of running a repressive regime, saying that government officials have played direct roles in "arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions [and the] persecution of civil society and the media."

Ortega has also turned against many of his former revolutionary comrades within the Sandinista movement, detaining several who once stood alongside him in the fight against Somoza.

Nicaragua's migrants flee

Legit.ng earlier reported that Jose Galeano is on the verge of embarking on the most important and frightening journey of his life. He took out a loan secured against his house and paid people smugglers to help him begin an odyssey he hopes will end in the United States.

Having worked as a farmhand, a gardener, and a laborer, this 35-year-old former veterinary medicine graduate is joining the thousands of Nicaraguans fleeing the second poorest country in Latin America.