Nicaragua passes constitutional reform extending presidential term to seven years and barring opposition

Parliamentary vote and constitutional changes

Nicaragua's National Assembly passed a constitutional reform in a first reading on 1 September 2026, barring opposition parties and candidates from participating in elections. The measure was approved unanimously by acclamation during a special legislative session held in the northwestern city of León. Under Article 47 of the amended text, individuals designated as traitors to the homeland, coup plotters, or those requesting foreign military intervention and economic blockades are disqualified from seeking elected office or serving in public roles. The legislation also grants the Supreme Electoral Council authority to cancel the legal status of political parties receiving funding from the United States. Furthermore, the reform extends the presidential term from six to seven years with no limits on re-election.

Extended terms and legislative schedule

Beyond the presidency, the extension to seven-year terms applies to co-presidents, national assembly deputies, mayors, judicial magistrates, electoral judges, the attorney general, the superintendent of banks, and the commanders of the army and police. Nicaraguan law mandates that constitutional revisions must pass two distinct legislative periods to take full effect. Assembly President Gustavo Porras announced the initial approval, while Co-President Rosario Murillo indicated that the second vote is set to occur during the legislative session beginning on 18 January 2027. Under the revised schedule, national presidential elections move to 2028, followed by municipal elections in 2029. This follows an earlier revision in 2024 that expanded the executive term from five to six years and made Murillo co-president alongside her husband, Daniel Ortega.

Ortega's consolidation of power

The legislative vote follows remarks delivered by Ortega on 19 July 2026 during the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, where he announced that competitive voting would no longer take place in the country. Ortega, who is 80 years old and approaching his 81st birthday, has governed Nicaragua continuously since 2007, making him the longest-serving state leader in the Americas.

Forget about it, there will not be elections in this country again.

The administration previously detained rival candidates ahead of the November 2021 elections and subsequently stripped at least 452 critics of their citizenship, including authors Sergio Ramírez and Gioconda Belli. Political unrest began in April 2018 when security forces put down anti-government demonstrations, an action that left over 300 people dead according to United Nations counts and forced thousands into exile.

International diplomatic reaction

Following the Assembly vote, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on regional partners to halt regular diplomatic and economic relations with Managua. Rubio stated that Washington intends to introduce additional measures at the upcoming Organization of American States foreign ministers meeting to increase pressure on the Nicaraguan government.

Dictatorships that deny the inalienable rights of their citizens should not enjoy the same economic or political benefits as governments committed to defending hemispheric peace and security.

The constitutional measures have also drawn condemnation from regional governments across Latin America. Following Ortega's July declaration, administrations in Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, and several Central American nations criticized the suspension of democratic processes, while Panama withdrew its ambassador from the capital city of Managua.