The National Assembly of Nicaragua presented an initiative for partial reform of the Constitution to expand five to seven yearswith the possibility of renewal, the presidential term, a proposal that would strengthen the length of stay in the power of the president Daniel Ortega.
The initiative was presented by the president of Parliament, Gustavo Porraswho stated that the system of State and Government of “Presidential People” It must be organized with effective periods of seven renewable years.
According to the explanatory statement, the reform aims to guarantee “stability in vision, operation and continuity”, with the purpose of responding to the material, cultural and social needs of the population and following up on the National Plan for Human Development and Poverty Liberation.
The proposal also seeks to adapt the functioning of the Government to the deadlines established in that development plan, considered by the ruling party as the roadmap for the coming years.
The proposal comes after new reforms promoted by Ortega
The initiative was presented nine days after Daniel Ortega proposed eliminating elections in Nicaragua, in a context marked by allegations of electoral fraud, the persecution and exile of opponents, as well as the declaration of “inapplicability” of the constitutional article that prevented presidential re-election.
🚨 Ortega and Murillo seek to extend the presidential term from 6 to 7 years and make it renewable, consolidating their indefinite stay in power.
The reform comes after Ortega assured that in Nicaragua “there will not be elections again.” For the opposition, the regime… pic.twitter.com/YAZJ1o4me7
— 100% NEWS (@100noticiastv) July 29, 2026
Ortega, from 80 yearsis the person who has exercised power in Nicaragua the longest. He joined the Governing Board between 1979 and 1985ruled the country between 1985 and 1990 and returned to the Presidency in 2007a position he has held since then.
The reform also contemplates exclude from electoral processes opponents who were denationalized or declared “traitors to the country”.
The co-president Rosario Murillo announced that the proposal will be debated and approved in the first legislature during Septemberwhile Gustavo Porras assured that Nicaragua will continue holding elections, although under a new constitutional framework that, as he stated, will prevent foreign interference.
International rejection of reforms
The recent proposals promoted by the Government Nicaraguans have generated concern and rejection of Costa Rica, United States, Panama, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, the European Union and Uruguay.
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Alberto Ramdinand the high commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights, Volker Turkwho have expressed concern about the democratic direction of Nicaragua.
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