Nicaragua. Parliament passed constitutional reform to make President Daniel Ortega and his wife “co-presidents”

The reform bill, introduced this week by Ortega and described by the authorities as urgent, was adopted by the National Assembly, a unicameral parliament dominated by the president's supporters.

The project, in addition to extending the term of office of the head of state from the current five to six years, also includes provisions regarding increased control over the media. The positions of “co-president” and “co-president” are to be created, Reuters reported.

Ortega, 79, has repeatedly said his wife has as much power as he does. Under their rule, in a country inhabited by 6.8 million people, the persecution of the opposition, the Catholic Church and the press intensified, and thousands of non-governmental organizations were closed.

The opposition condemned the draft constitutional changes as an attempt to legalize the “absolute power” of Ortega and his wife. “They are institutionalizing nepotism and repression, destroying the rule of law,” said the Nicaraguan Alliance of Universities, an organization opposed to the authorities. The Organization of American States (OAS) said on Wednesday that the reform is “illegal in form and content” and constitutes “an abnormal form of institutionalization of a marital dictatorship in a Central American country.” Under the Nicaraguan constitution, changes to the Constitution must be approved by a majority of members of parliament in two separate terms. The project will only be able to enter into force after it is adopted by the next parliament, which will start work in January, explained Parliament Speaker Gustavo Porras.

Nicaragua since the mass anti-government demonstrations in 2018, it has been experiencing a sharp political and social crisis. It deepened when Ortega was elected to a fifth presidential term in controversial elections in 2021, while his main political opponents were in prison or had to leave their homeland.