President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, are poised to consolidate absolute control over Nicaragua following the National Assembly's approval of a constitutional amendment elevating Murillo to the role of "co-president."
The amendment, passed unanimously by loyalist lawmakers Friday, extends the presidential term from five to six years and grants the co-presidents sweeping authority over legislative, judicial, and electoral bodies. A second reading in January is expected to formalize the change, solidifying the pair's dominance.
Ortega, 79, and Murillo, 73, have long faced international condemnation for what critics describe as a nepotistic dictatorship. Under their rule, opposition voices have been stifled, with over 5,000 NGOs shut down and hundreds of opponents jailed since mass protests in 2018. The United Nations estimates that more than 300 people died during the unrest.
The revised constitution also labels critics as "traitors to the homeland," a designation allowing the regime to strip individuals of citizenship, a measure already applied to hundreds of dissidents.
Ortega, who first led Nicaragua from 1985 to 1990 before returning to power in 2007, proposed the constitutional changes amid mounting US and EU sanctions over human rights abuses. The amendment will define Nicaragua as a “revolutionary socialist state,” embedding the red-and-black flag of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) as a national symbol.
Critics have warned that the reform dismantles any remaining political pluralism and institutional independence. Constitutional expert Azahalea Solis described the changes as excluding alternative political ideologies, while exiled human rights lawyer Salvador Marenco labeled it the end of the separation of powers.
International reaction has been swift. Organization of American States Secretary-General Luis Almagro condemned the amendment as an “aberrant form of institutionalizing marital dictatorship” and an “aggression against the democratic rule of law.”
The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) also expressed grave concerns in its latest report, citing arbitrary arrests, torture, and increasing violence against Indigenous communities.
Manuel Orozco of the Inter-American Dialogue suggested the amendment guarantees Murillo’s succession and secures a political future for their son, Laureano Ortega. Former Ortega ally turned critic Dora Maria Tellez, now exiled in the US, summarized the move as formalizing a "de facto dictatorship."
