SerpApi.Org
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has caused international shock by formally announcing that competitive electoral processes will no longer be held in the country.
During the commemoration of the Sandinista victory at the Plaza de la Fe in the capital, Ortega was emphatic in declaring to a crowd of supporters and military personnel: "I want you to forget, here there will be no more elections for them [opponents] to try to seize the Government and power". These words, spoken by an 81-year-old president with a weakened voice, have been interpreted by analysts as the political testament of a regime seeking to perpetuate itself without democratic facades.
According to sources, Ortega justified this measure by alleging that the opposition is conspiring to organize parties financed by "the Yankees" with the aim of overthrowing him. Therefore, he announced that he will work with the National Assembly to enact laws that will build a "wall" against "coup plotters" and "traitors". This authoritarian turn comes in a context of regional isolation following the fall of his ally Nicolás Maduro and the increasing influence of Washington in the region, which has heightened the regime's fear of facing external pressures similar to those of Cuba.
The Nicaraguan opposition, which labeled the 2021 electoral farce —where seven presidential aspirants were jailed— as "the great fraud," maintains that the announcement reflects that the dictatorship knows it is not invincible. Exiled leaders like Félix Maradiaga and Medardo Mairena agree that the Ortega-Murillo duo is aware that they would never win in a free and transparent process. Experts noted in the sources that this announcement simply formalizes a reality where the electoral system functioned as a "legalistic ornament" to justify the regime.
Nicaragua's future now seems tied to the consolidation of a dynasty led by Rosario Murillo, who is destined to be the successor and already delegates strategic tasks to her children. Meanwhile, the country is embracing a model of social control inspired by North Korea, eradicating any trace of political pluralism.
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