Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega cancels election after two decades in power

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega ruled out on Sunday any possibility of elections to prevent the opposition from taking office, after almost two decades in power.

A firebrand Marxist in his youth and leader of a revolution against a US-backed autocrat, 80-year-old Ortega has been in power since 2007 following elections questioned by the international community.

He is widely accused of acting harshly to crush dissent and remain in power in the poor Central American country.

“They better forget it, here in Nicaragua there will be no more elections so they can try to grab the government and seize power,” Ortega said, referring to his opponents, during an event marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution in the country’s capital Managua.

Nicaragua was due to hold general elections in November, but a year and a half ago constitutional reforms extended the presidential term from five to six years, meaning the elections are now scheduled for 2027.

Opposition movements living in exile hope international pressure will reinstate elections in Nicaragua.

“They keep plotting… looking for ways to organize parties so that in an election, they’re assuming will happen, those parties would then win,” Ortega said before thousands of supporters, accusing his foes of being put in place by the United States.

Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have ruled Nicaragua for nearly two decades with absolute power. They have kept a tight grip on society since a harsh crackdown on protests in 2018 left more than 300 people dead, according to the UN.

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