Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has declared that the Central American nation will no longer hold elections, marking a dramatic escalation in his government's consolidation of power.
Speaking during celebrations marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, Ortega explicitly ruled out future democratic contests.
"Let them forget it," he told supporters, adding, "There will be no more elections here so that they can't try to seize the government or seize power."
Instead, Ortega said future governments would be safeguarded through new laws designed to prevent what he described as foreign-backed attempts to unseat his administration.
He emphasised that "the days when parties backed by the Yankees or the Somocistas would return to power are over."
The 80-year-old leader, who has ruled Nicaragua continuously since 2007 after previously serving as president in the 1980s, said he would work directly with the ruling party-controlled Congress to enact restrictions on opposition political groups.
"We need laws that build a wall, a barrier, against the coup plotters and the traitors who sell out their country," Ortega said.
Ortega made the remarks during the annual commemoration of the Sandinista Revolution, in which he played a leading role in overthrowing the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza in 1979.
The announcement effectively ends hopes of competitive elections ahead of Nicaragua's next scheduled general election and is widely seen as further entrenching Ortega's grip on power.
Ortega and his wife, Co-President Rosario Murillo, have long faced accusations of dismantling democratic institutions, but analysts say the latest declaration marks a significant political shift.
The move follows constitutional reforms introduced in 2025 that extended presidential terms from five to six years, expanded presidential powers, and formally established Murillo as co-president.
The United States swiftly condemned the remarks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the statement "lays bare their true authoritarian nature" and called on the international community to isolate the Nicaraguan government.
Human rights organisations and opposition groups have repeatedly accused Ortega's administration of jailing political opponents, forcing critics into exile, revoking the citizenship of dissidents, and suppressing independent media and civil society since nationwide anti-government protests erupted in 2018.