The constitutional reforms proposed in Nicaragua have sparked widespread debate. While several media outlets have misrepresented government statements by claiming that the reforms would bring an end to elections, Nicaraguan authorities argue that such claims take the initiative currently under discussion in the National Assembly out of context.
The proposal emerged following a call by Co-President Daniel Ortega to update the constitutional and legal framework of the electoral system. As he explained, the objective is to strengthen democracy, guarantee sovereign electoral processes and establish mechanisms to prevent the participation of individuals who, under the proposed legislation, have promoted coups d’état, requested foreign military interventions or supported sanctions against Nicaragua.
“With the Somocistas who were business owners, we had a major peace agreement that was moving forward, and suddenly came the stab in the back. They organized the coup and used funds from the United States to take young people and adults and prepare them, train them, arm them and overthrow the legitimate Government of the Sandinista Front. They tried. Blood was shed here… the blood of young people, adults, women and children was spilled,” Ortega declared during the ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the triumph of the Sandinista Popular Revolution.
The Nicaraguan leader added: «But they are still there, waiting. They would like nothing more than to win elections so they can profit from the country’s schools. They should forget about that. There will never again be elections here that allow them to seize the government or take power. We will work with the National Assembly and the relevant institutions to enact laws that build a wall—a barrier against coup plotters and those who betray their country—so that no matter how much support or money they receive from the United States, they will not succeed.»
Partial Reforms to Nicaragua’s Constitution
Among the main proposed changes is the disqualification from holding public office of those who participate in actions considered coup-related, promote coercive measures against the country or receive foreign financing to influence national political activity. The initiative also reaffirms that those who hold public office must fully comply with the constitutional requirements of nationality and loyalty to the Republic.
Co-President Rosario Murillo stated that Nicaragua will continue holding elections under a model that responds solely to national sovereignty and not to foreign interests.
“I have been reading the reports published by the National Assembly. Our blessed Nicaragua, looking at everything we remember, everything we have had to live through, and which forms part of our country’s history. The history of the electoral processes that were devised, designed, directed and guided here by the United States. That is the history. That is the kind of election that will never return to Nicaragua,” Murillo stated.
The Nicaraguan Co-President also emphasized that those kinds of elections against the people will never come and will never return to Nicaragua. “Elections, yes, but our own elections, and when we say our own, they belong to our blessed people, designed and organized from our national sovereignty.”
In this regard, National Assembly President Gustavo Porras has stated that the reforms seek to ensure that electoral processes are organized and decided exclusively by Nicaraguans, without external interference.
“We have clear guidance from the President and Head of State of Nicaragua to carry out the reforms and act in legal terms so that those kinds of elections never return to this country. They will be the elections of the Nicaraguan people, national elections to choose our national authorities and our municipal authorities, with the terms established by the Nicaraguan people, and with the candidates and conditions established by the Nicaraguan people,” the Nicaraguan parliamentarian stated.
Nicaragua Condemns U.S. Interference in 1990
The authorities also base the proposal on historical precedents, such as U.S. financing of the so-called “Contra” during the 1980s and the political context surrounding the 1990 elections. From this perspective, they maintain that the reforms seek to prevent any form of external interference in the country’s political life.
“A lackey of the Yankees cannot come here, put himself forward, and use money and financing to distort an electoral process. In fact, the 1990 elections were the clearest example of a gun being pointed at the people’s heads. In other words, 1990 was not an electoral defeat. In 1990, the Yankees pointed a gun at us and told the Nicaraguan people: If you vote for the Sandinista Front, we will continue the war,” Porras recalled.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly continues a consultation process with all sectors of Nicaraguan society, including business owners, religious representatives, the diplomatic corps, State institutions, the National Police and the Nicaraguan Army.
