Nicaragua's Ortega says no more elections, extending 20-year rule : NPR

Key Points:

• Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega announced that the country will not hold elections anytime soon, effectively canceling the next scheduled elections originally set for November 2027 after Congress extended the presidential term.
• Ortega, in power since 2007 and known for rewriting the constitution and suppressing opposition, declared in a speech that future elections are over, dismissing the legitimacy of parties established by past regimes and foreign influence.
• Opposition leaders and human rights groups view this move as a clear escalation toward dictatorship, with Ortega consolidating power similarly to one-party states like China and Cuba, and eliminating electoral competition entirely.
• At least 46 political prisoners remain jailed in Nicaragua, and the government has a history of imprisoning, torturing, and exiling activists and opposition figures, while also shutting down thousands of organizations and stripping lawyers of their licenses.
• The announcement signals a potential increase in repression against dissenters, with experts warning of a deepening authoritarian regime under Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, who together control nearly all branches of government.