Nicaragua is advancing a constitutional reform aimed at strengthening the country’s political stability, security, and sovereignty, National Assembly President Gustavo Porras said during an interview broadcast by teleSUR.
The parliamentarian explained that the proposal is undergoing a broad month-long process of popular consultation.
«This reform is based on six key principles, and the Nicaraguan people will gradually become familiar with them through the consultation process we are conducting over the course of the next month.»
Among the key changes proposed is the extension of terms of office to seven years for officials elected by popular vote. The same seven-year term would also apply to presidential appointees, officials elected by the National Assembly, and the leadership of the armed forces and the National Police.
That period would allow the implementation of long-term projects in health, education, road infrastructure and energy coverage.
The initiative would also prevent individuals convicted of acting against national independence, sovereignty and self-determination from participating in elections. Likewise, the Supreme Electoral Council could revoke the legal status of organizations financed from abroad or that promote sanctions and interventions.
Nicaragua Reaffirms Its Sovereignty
Porras rejected claims that Nicaragua intends to eliminate elections and emphasized that they will continue to be held with electoral accompaniment.
“There will be elections, there will be democracy—the democracy of the People as President—and we will hold elections every seven years, absolutely clean and transparent, with political actors who comply with the law and the rules.”
“We want peace,” Porras stated, while warning that the Nicaraguan people will not renounce defending their independence and revolutionary project.
The objective, he concluded, is to consolidate the existing social model and demonstrate that a small nation can combat poverty with dignity, sovereignty and social justice.
