Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has proposed extending the presidential term by a further year, as part of constitutional reforms expected to be approved by the government-controlled National Assembly in September. The move would further consolidate the power of Ortega and his wife, co-president Rosario Murillo, amid longstanding concerns over Nicaragua’s increasingly authoritarian government.

Ortega, 80, has ruled since 2007; term limits were removed in 2014 and the presidential term was increased from five to six years in 2024. The proposed reforms would also prevent opposition figures labelled “traitors” or “coup plotters” from standing, following a 2021 election in which credible challengers were detained, disqualified or forced into exile. UN human rights chief Volker Türk says repression has intensified since then, while opponents have faced imprisonment, loss of citizenship and property seizures.