UN rights chief denounces Nicaragua plan to end elections
Volker Turk said Nicaragua is tightening political control after Daniel Ortega said the country would not hold elections.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
The United Nations human rights chief has condemned Nicaragua’s worsening restrictions on political and civil rights after President Daniel Ortega said the country would not hold elections. The warning matters because Ortega’s announcement would remove a remaining route for opponents to challenge his rule.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Wednesday that recent actions by Nicaragua’s government deepen limits on fundamental freedoms, shrink civic space and weaken the rule of law. His statement followed Ortega’s Sunday declaration that “there won’t be elections” in Nicaragua.
Ortega, a former leftist fighter, has governed Nicaragua for nearly two decades alongside his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo. General elections had been scheduled for November, but constitutional changes approved 18 months ago lengthened the presidential term from five years to six, moving the vote to 2027.
Turk said authority in Nicaragua is becoming more concentrated under what he described as the co-presidency. He said the ruling Sandinista party already controls the national parliament, all municipalities and regional councils on the North and South Caribbean Coast.
The UN rights chief urged Nicaraguan authorities to restore the rule of law and reopen space for civic activity. He said independent political expression is being suppressed in a systematic way, and said people of all political views must be able to vote and seek office under Nicaragua’s international human rights obligations.
Turk’s office also cited the government’s recent removal of credentials from several lawyers. The UN rights office said those decisions, made earlier this month, lacked legal justification.
The statement said at least 46 people remain arbitrarily detained for political reasons. Turk called for all people held arbitrarily to be released and said they should be treated with humanity and dignity.
Turk also raised concern about the treatment of religious groups in Nicaragua. He pointed to the case of Bishop Abelardo Mata Guevara, 80, who was detained on June 29, and said his whereabouts remain unclear.
Ortega and Murillo have tightened control over Nicaraguan society since protests in 2018 were met with a deadly crackdown. More than 300 people were killed in that period, according to UN figures.
The UN rights office framed Ortega’s latest statement and the government’s recent actions as part of a broader erosion of political rights in the Central American country. Turk’s appeal called on Managua to allow political participation and independent expression rather than further restricting opposition activity.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.