Ortega Proposes Adding a Year to President Term and Expanding Reforms

Sun Sep 06 2026 03:22:27 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Nicaragua’s long‑time leader Daniel Ortega plans to lengthen his term to six years and introduce measures that could bar opposition candidates, deepening authoritarian rule.

Daniel Ortega seeks to extend his presidential term to six years in 2026, adding an extra year to the current schedule, while proposing constitutional changes that would exclude alleged “traitors” or “coup plotters” from future elections. The National Assembly is expected to approve these reforms in September. The move follows a pattern of earlier term‑limit removals in 2014 and a six‑year extension in 2024, highlighting Ortega’s continued consolidation of power. Co‑president Rosario Murillo would become the next leader should Ortega be deemed permanently absent. Human rights organizations warn that such changes erode the rule of law and stifle political dissent in Nicaragua.

Ortega Proposes Adding a Year to President Term and Expanding Reforms

President Daniel Ortega, who has governed Nicaragua since 2007, has announced plans to extend the presidential term to six years for his remaining time in office, effectively adding an extra year to the current schedule. The proposal will be put to a vote in the government‑controlled National Assembly in September.

Alongside the term extension, Ortega’s draft constitutional reform seeks to ban individuals the government labels as “traitors” or “coup plotters” from running for office. These moves are part of a pattern of tightening political control that began with the removal of term limits in 2014 and was furthered by the 2024 six‑year extension.

The reforms also cement the role of co‑president Rosario Murillo, who would assume leadership if Ortega is declared permanently absent. Observers warn that such changes deepen authoritarian practices, spotlighted by the imprisonment, exile, and revocation of citizenships held by political opponents.

Nicaragua’s last presidential elections were held in November 2021, a contest that saw Ortega win while opposition candidates faced arrest, exclusion, or forced exile. International human‑rights advocates, including UN chief Volker Türk, have warned of escalating repression and erosion of rule‑of‑law standards.