U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday condemned Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega after the longtime leader declared that Nicaragua would no longer hold elections that could allow the opposition to take power.
In a statement released by the U.S. State Department, Rubio said Ortega’s remarks demonstrated the authoritarian nature of his government.
“Daniel Ortega’s declaration that under his family dictatorship Nicaragua will no longer hold elections shows his true authoritarian nature,” Rubio said. “The Nicaraguan people deserve the right to choose their own leaders through democratic elections.”
Rubio also accused Ortega and his wife, co-President Rosario Murillo, of abandoning “even the pretense of governing with the consent of the people.” He called on the international community to unite in responding to the Nicaraguan government.
“The Trump Administration and the international community will not stand by as the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship deepens repression at home and manufactures instability that threatens U.S. national security,” Rubio wrote in a separate post on X.
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Ortega made the remarks during a July 19 ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, where he said Nicaragua would no longer hold elections that could allow opponents to “capture the government and power.”
Nicaragua’s next general elections were originally scheduled for November 2026, but a constitutional reform extended the presidential term from five to six years, moving the vote to November 2027.
