Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, have consolidated their control over the country through a controversial constitutional amendment that grants them absolute power over all state institutions. The move has sparked international condemnation and raised alarm about the future of democracy and human rights in Nicaragua.
Nicaragua n President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo , have consolidated their grip on power with a sweeping constitutional amendment that grants them absolute control over all state institutions. Approved by the country's legislature, the reform extends the presidential term from five to six years and empowers Ortega and Murillo to oversee all legislative, judicial, electoral, and supervisory bodies, previously independent entities.
The move has drawn widespread international condemnation, with critics denouncing it as a blatant attack on democracy and fundamental freedoms. The amendment elevates Murillo to the position of 'co-president,' effectively making her Ortega's equal partner in governing. This consolidation of power comes after years of escalating authoritarianism under Ortega, who has systematically dismantled democratic institutions and suppressed dissent. Since his return to power in 2007, Ortega's government has jailed hundreds of political opponents, crushed independent media, and shuttered thousands of non-governmental organizations. The 2018 mass protests, which were violently quelled, resulted in an estimated 300 deaths and forced thousands of Nicaraguans into exile.The revised constitution defines Nicaragua as a 'revolutionary' and socialist state, incorporating the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) flag, a symbol of the 1979 revolution that ousted the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. The amendment also allows for stricter control over media and the Church, labeling them as potential threats to national security if they align with 'foreign interests.' Moreover, it permits the stripping of citizenship from 'traitors to the homeland,' a charge already levied against hundreds of political figures, journalists, activists, and intellectuals deemed critical of the regime. The creation of a 'voluntary police' force, criticized by exiled opposition figures as a paramilitary unit, further raises concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and the potential for widespread human rights abuses
Nicaragua Ortega Murillo Constitutional Amendment Authoritarianism Human Rights Democracy
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