Next Nicaraguan general election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General elections were due to be held in Nicaragua by November 2026 to elect the co-presidents and members of the National Assembly.[1] However, on 20 July 2026, Co-President Daniel Ortega cancelled the elections, saying that Nicaragua would no longer hold elections.[2]
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90 of the 91 seats in the National Assembly 46 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
In the 2021 general election, Daniel Ortega was elected for his fourth consecutive presidential term, although prior to the election, months of crackdown against opposition figures and potential presidential candidates has led to the condemnation of the election as "illegitimate" by observers such as the US Department of State.[3][4]
Ahead of the November 2026 election, Nicaragua has also held hundreds of political prisoners who have been released but have consequently had their citizenship revoked. In February 2023, 222 political prisoners were released to the United States and were stripped of their citizenship; 94 other political opponents lost their citizenship about a week after the prisoner release.[4] In September 2024, 135 more political prisoners were released to Guatemala as part of a deal with Guatemala and the United States; Their citizenship was revoked and their property seized by the Nicaraguan government.[5]
Several amendments to the Constitution were made ahead of the November 2026 election that increase incumbent presidents Ortega and Murillo's power and ability to remain in office. Murillo's position as vice president has been promoted to co-president, alongside Ortega; This provision is tied to Article 133, which updates the Presidency of the Republic to consist of a Co-President and Co-Presidenta, essentially converting Nicaragua to a diarchy.[6] The amendments give the co-presidents coordination power over, "legislative, judicial, electoral, control and supervisory bodies, regional and municipal.";[3] This provision is tied to Article 132, which also extends the overseeing powers of the presidency from the Nicaraguan Army to the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police.[6] In the case of Ortega's death, Murillo is immediately appointed president without elections.[7] Furthermore, co-presidents can appoint as many vice presidents as they desire, per the revision of Article 137, also giving the co-presidents the power to appoint and fire ministers and deputy ministers, the attorney and deputy attorney general, the directors of governmental bodies, and the heads of diplomatic missions.[6] The presidential term has also been extended from five years to six years per the provision of Article 135;[6] These amendments were passed unanimously by the National Assembly in January 2025.[7] Due to this extension, it's possible that the November 2026 elections could be delayed until November 2027;[8] Freedom House claims that Ortega and Murillo could remain in office as late as January 2028.[9]
A new electoral law passed in January 2025 also grants further governmental control over the Consejo Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Council; CSE), which may further limit opposition participation in the election, as seen during the 2021 general election and the March 2024 regional elections.[8]