Nicaragua Moves to Abolish Elections as Ortega Consolidates Power

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has declared an end to the country's electoral process, marking a significant escalation in his long-standing grip on power. During a speech commemorating the 1979 revolution, Ortega stated that the era of opposition parties returning to power is over, asserting, “The days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas would return to power are over – never again.” Legislative efforts to formalize this change are currently underway.

While Nicaragua’s electoral history has long been characterized by repression and manipulation, the decision to eliminate the process entirely distinguishes the regime from most modern autocracies. Researchers typically categorize contemporary authoritarian leaders as “spin dictators” who utilize controlled elections to maintain a facade of democratic legitimacy, gather intelligence on opposition strongholds, and assess the loyalty of political subordinates. Even regimes that lack genuine competition, such as Russia under Vladimir Putin or the military junta in Myanmar, have historically maintained the appearance of elections to bolster domestic and international standing.

Ortega’s move follows years of increasing reliance on state repression, particularly since the suppression of mass protests in 2018. According to the V-Dem Institute, Nicaragua is currently ranked as the least democratic nation in Latin America, falling behind both Cuba and Venezuela in democracy indices. Analysts suggest that this shift reflects a growing trend of brazenness among authoritarian leaders who are increasingly indifferent to the international norms of democratic legitimacy.

By abandoning the electoral playbook, Ortega joins a small group of regimes that operate without the pretense of popular mandates, such as the one-party state of Eritrea and various hereditary monarchies. Experts warn that this development may indicate a broader decline in the necessity autocrats feel to maintain democratic appearances in the current global political climate.

Source: The Conversation