Nicaragua: President Ortega, wife to be granted new powers

Nicaragua's parliament on Friday gave their green light to a constitutional reform that hands more power to President Daniel Ortega and his already powerful wife.

Critics have denounced the amendment as a tool to turn the Central American national into a de-facto dictatorship.

What do we know about the reform?

The reform, which was sent to Congress on Tuesday "as a matter of urgency" was approved unanimously by 91 lawmakers in the National Assembly, which is under the control of Ortegas' ruling FSLN party.

The amendment extends the president's term by a year to six years, elevates spouse Rosario Murillo to the position of "co-president," and boosts the pair's joint control over the state. Murillo is currently vice president.

Some analysts believe the change guarantees that Murillo and the couples son Laureano Ortega would succeed Daniel Ortega as leaders. The reform has been widely criticized internationally.

Luis Almagro, the chief of the Organization of American States,  a regional diplomatic body, this week described the move as "an aberrant form of institutionalizing the marital dictatorship."

The reform also increases the power of the country's military and police and gives the state more control over the media and Church, to prevent them from falling into the hands of "foreign interests."

It stipulates that "traitors to the homeland" can be stripped of their citizenship, which Ortega has already done in practice.

The revised constitution will define Nicaragua as a "revolutionary" and socialist state.

It also will include as a national symbol the red-and-black flag of the FSLN — a guerrilla group-turned-political party that overthrew US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979.

The amendment must be approved a second time in February before it becomes effective.

Ortega rules for nearly three decades

The 79-year-old Ortega has ruled Nicaragua for 28 years, having first come to power in 1979 following the fall of dictator Anastasio Somoza.

He was voted out of office in 1990 but returned as head of state and government in 2007.

Critics of Ortega's government say he and his 73-year-old wife have already exercised absolute power for years, gradually tightening control of all sectors of the state.

They describe Nicaragua as being run by a nepotistic dictatorship, which has jailed hundreds of Ortega's opponents.

The government violently repressed anti-government protests in 2018. The United Nations estimates more than 300 people died in the crackdown, with thousands of Nicaraguans fleeing into exile.

Ortega's regime is under US and EU sanctions, while several countries, including the Vatican, have cut ties with Managua.

A report published in September by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) warned of a "serious" deterioration in human rights under Ortega's rule.

The report cited arbitrary arrests, torture, ill-treatment in detention, increased violence against Indigenous people and attacks on religious freedom.

mm/dj (AFP, dpa, Reuters)