Nicaragua draft reform would bar opponents from elections and extend presidential terms

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has sent a draft constitutional reform to Congress that would allow the government to exclude alleged "traitors" and "coup-plotting" opposition figures from future elections. The proposal would also extend the presidential term from six to seven renewable years. Congress President Gustavo Porras outlined the plan on Tuesday, and approval is expected in September.

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According to the draft, the political system would be reorganised around an "effective term" of seven renewable years. Porras said the proposal was being presented under a model of government led by the presidency of the people, but he did not provide extensive detail beyond reading parts of the text. The reform follows recent remarks by Ortega that there would be no elections in the country, which he framed as a way to stop the opposition from taking power.

If approved, the change would deepen a pattern of institutional consolidation that has already reshaped Nicaragua's political system. A constitutional amendment passed in 2024 extended the presidential term from five to six years and elevated Rosario Murillo, Ortega's wife and then vice-president, to the position of co-president. That reform also pushed planned elections back to late 2027, prompting criticism from opponents who said it was designed to keep the presidential family in power indefinitely.

The latest proposal comes against the backdrop of a long-running political crisis that has defined Nicaragua since 2018. Ortega, a former Marxist rebel, returned to power in 2007 and began his fourth consecutive term in January 2022 after winning the previous year's election. His government has faced sustained criticism and sanctions from parts of the international community, including the United States and the European Union, over its treatment of opponents and civil society.

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The current draft is significant because it would further narrow the space for electoral competition in a country where the opposition has already faced severe pressure. Human rights organisations say the crackdown that followed antigovernment protests in April 2018 left more than 300 people dead. Since then, Ortega has overseen a sweeping campaign against civil society and concentrated power more tightly within the executive branch.

What remains unclear is how much debate the reform will face in Congress before the expected September approval, and how the exclusion of alleged opponents would be applied in practice. It is also not yet clear which legal mechanisms would be used to define "traitors" or "coup-plotting" figures. The proposal will be watched closely for its impact on Nicaragua's next electoral timetable and on the already limited prospects for opposition participation.

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