Ankara: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday criticized a declaration by Nicaragua's president that the country will no longer hold elections, stating it 'lays bare' the authoritarian nature of the country's regime.

According to Anadolu Agency, Rubio expressed that Daniel Ortega's remarks revealed that Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, also referred to as his co-president, 'have abandoned even the pretense of popular consent.' Rubio emphasized that the Nicaraguan people have the right to select their own leaders through democratic elections.

Rubio urged the international community 'to join forces to demonstrate to the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship that it cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere.' His statement followed Ortega's announcement that Nicaragua would cease to hold elections, with plans to introduce laws through the National Assembly to "build a wall" against the opposition.