Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday condemned Nicaragua's latest constitutional reform, accusing President Daniel Ortega and Co-President Rosario Murillo of further undermining democracy and consolidating power. In a statement, Rubio said that Nicaragua's National Assembly had "eroded the fiction of Nicaragua's democracy" by rewriting the constitution to entrench what he called the Ortega-Murillo "dynasty." He said the changes would "indefinitely deprive Nicaraguans of free and fair elections."

According to Anadolu Agency, Rubio emphasized that "dictatorships that deny the unalienable rights of their citizens should not enjoy the same economic or political benefits as governments committed to defending hemispheric peace and security." He urged international partners to "immediately stop business as usual operations" with what he described as the "brutal dictatorship" in Nicaragua. The statement came a day after Nicaragua's National Assembly unanimously approved the constitutional reform in its first legislative session.

The reform extends the terms of Ortega, Murillo, and other elected officials from six to seven years. It also restricts candidates deemed "traitors to the homeland" or linked to attempts to overthrow the government. The changes would give the Supreme Electoral Council greater powers over political parties and candidates, according to local media.

In a post on US social media platform X, Rubio stated that the National Assembly had "gutted what was left of Nicaragua's democracy" in its second constitutional rewrite in two years. He added that the US would implement measures at the next Organization of American States (OAS) Foreign Ministerial to ensure the hemisphere stops "business as usual" with the Nicaraguan government.

Nicaragua's government has defended the reform as a measure to strengthen the country's sovereignty, security, stability, and peace. Rubio mentioned that the Trump administration would continue identifying and implementing measures to address what he called the Ortega-Murillo government's human rights violations. "We stand in support of Nicaraguans' right to decide their country's future," Rubio said.

The constitutional reform requires approval in a second legislative session before it can take effect, with the second vote expected in January 2027.