Ankara: Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has announced that the country will no longer hold elections to prevent the opposition from taking power. He made this declaration during celebrations for the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution. Ortega, who has been in office since 2007, emphasized his intent to introduce laws through the National Assembly to create a "wall" against opposition forces.

According to Anadolu Agency, Ortega's announcement was made to thousands of state employees, where he stated, "There will be no more elections here so that they (the opposition parties) can try to seize the government, seize power." Despite the fact that elections are scheduled for next year, Ortega did not clarify whether they would be canceled or if opposition parties would remain excluded, as seen in 2021 when his government banned parties and imprisoned major opposition presidential candidates.

Ortega, who had not been seen in public for 61 days prior to the speech, also mentioned intentions to work on laws with the National Assembly to establish barriers against those he referred to as "coup plotters and traitors." Last year, he approved constitutional changes that extended the presidential term and elevated his wife, Rosario Murillo, to co-president.

The US State Department has described Ortega's government as the "Murillo-Ortega dictatorship." During his address, Ortega criticized the US over its January operation involving former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, labeling it as "monstrous." He defended the move against opposition as necessary to prevent the resurgence of "coup plotters," whom he blames for the 2018 protests. These protests led to significant violence and human rights violations, according to UN-linked organizations, which reported over 350 deaths, numerous injuries, imprisonments, and nearly one million Nicaraguans being forced into exile.