Nicaragua congress begins work plan to implement move away from elections

Nicaragua's National Assembly has said it is beginning work on a plan to implement President Daniel Ortega's directive that the country should no longer hold elections. The announcement marks a new step in a political shift that has already drawn strong criticism from the United Nations and the United States. It also follows Ortega's remarks during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution.

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In a statement on Tuesday, the Ortega-controlled assembly said it was starting the necessary analysis to draw up a work plan to carry out the president's directives. It said the move was being justified as a way of ensuring peace, security, stability and continuity in the fight against poverty. Ortega had said at the weekend that he would work with congress to pass new laws that would, in his words, build a wall against the opposition.

The development comes after years of democratic erosion in Nicaragua under Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, who now governs alongside him as co-president after a controversial constitutional change last year. The country has already seen violent suppression of protests, the imprisonment of thousands of people and the forced exile of nearly 1 million Nicaraguans, according to the supplied report. The latest announcement is described as a significant rhetorical escalation because it is now being translated into action by the legislature.

The move is politically significant because it directly challenges the principle of competitive elections and the right of citizens to choose their leaders. It also raises questions about how the government intends to frame any future legal changes, given the stated aim of preserving stability and continuity. The announcement is likely to deepen concern among international bodies that have already warned about the shrinking civic space in the country.

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The timing is notable because Ortega's comments came during a national commemoration tied to the Sandinista revolution, a moment he used to link his current rule with the movement that helped overthrow Anastasio Somoza García in 1979. That historical reference underlines how the government is presenting the proposed changes as part of a broader political project rather than a one-off statement. It also places the National Assembly at the centre of what appears to be a coordinated effort to reshape the electoral system.

What remains unclear is the exact legal mechanism the assembly will use, how quickly any changes could be introduced, and whether there will be any formal electoral timetable left in place. The United Nations has called for civic space to be reopened and for the rule of law to be restored, while the US has urged the international community to act together in response. The next developments will show whether the plan becomes formal legislation and how far the government is prepared to go in ending elections altogether.

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