Nicaragua - January 2025

On 28 January, the National Assembly ratified a package of constitutional amendments that further executive aggrandizement in Nicaragua. They include the establishment of the role of ‘co-presidents’, which the Assembly claims is aimed to fully guarantee women’s political participation on equal terms with men (one co-president is to be a man, and one a woman), along with other provisions on the subject. The amended provisions also extend presidential terms from five to six years and acknowledge that co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo (Ortega’s wife and current Vice-President) will coordinate the legislative, judicial and electoral bodies (among others). The package, initially approved in a first reading in November, also enhances the role of the military, codifies deprivation of citizenship as punishment for crimes such as treason, and effectively excludes opposition members and those in exile from running for co-president, by establishing a six-year residency requirement for candidates. 

 Sources: Asamblea Nacional, CNN, International IDEA