Nicaragua approves reforms boosting power of President Ortega and his wife

Legislators greenlight reforms giving much authorization to Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, accused of stifling dissent.

Legislators successful Nicaragua person approved a law amendment that volition fortify the powerfulness of longtime President Daniel Ortega, who has been accused of cracking down connected critics and governmental challengers.

The reforms, which 79-year-old Ortega sent to Congress this week “as a substance of urgency”, were approved unanimously connected Friday by 91 lawmakers.

The changes elevate Ortega’s woman and vice president, Rosario Murillo, to the station of “co-president”. They besides summation the statesmanlike word successful the Central American federation from 5 to six years and widen the executive’s power implicit the media.

According to the Nicaraguan Constitution, reforms indispensable beryllium approved successful a 2nd legislative period, successful this lawsuit successful 2025, earlier they go effective.

Government critics said the amendments would legalise the “absolute power” Ortega and his woman already wield successful the country.

Ortega had archetypal served arsenic president from 1985 to 1990, returning to powerfulness successful 2007.

He secured a 4th consecutive term arsenic president successful 2021 aft an predetermination run that was marked by a months-long crackdown connected dissent and the arrests of dozens of absorption figures, including respective statesmanlike hopefuls.

Rights groups and planetary observers slammed the vote arsenic a “sham” and accused the Sandinista person of stifling dissent.

“The betterment not lone reflects the paranoia and insecurity of the Sandinista dictatorship, but besides codifies a strategy that has nary nonstop precedent successful Latin America, dangerously resembling the North Korean model,” wrote exiled absorption leader, Felix Maradiaga, successful the online media outlet Divergentes.

“These modifications bespeak a hopeless effort to shield the Ortega-Murillo household from immoderate eventuality,” helium added.

Ortega’s authorities has unopen down more than 5,000 NGOs since wide protests broke retired against his regularisation successful 2018. About 300 radical died successful the unrest, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, thousands of Nicaraguans person fled into exile — often to neighbouring Costa Rica — and the United States and European Union person imposed a bid of sanctions against Ortega’s administration.

“Nicaragua is being stripped of its intelligence superior and captious voices,” a UN sheet warned past year.

Friday’s law amendment stipulates that “traitors to the homeland” tin beryllium stripped of their citizenship – thing Ortega has already done with hundreds of politicians, journalists, intellectuals and activists perceived arsenic captious of his government.

It besides gives the co-presidents the powerfulness to coordinate each “legislative, judicial, electoral, power and supervisory bodies, determination and municipal”.

The Organization of American States, a determination body, has slammed the reforms arsenic “a definitive onslaught connected the antiauthoritarian regularisation of law”.

“Through these modifications to the cardinal law, Ortega and his allies question to summation their implicit power of the State and perpetuate themselves successful power,” the radical said successful a statement connected Wednesday.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies