Elections & campaignsAbuse of power & retaliation

UN experts and the Inter-American Commission say Nicaragua's proposed reform would extend the 'co-presidency' to seven years and give 'traitor' restrictions constitutional status

Confidence: Confirmed · 1 sourceNicaragua · Oct 13, 2026

Subject of this story

Nicaragua

Also named

Oversight

UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

What happened

On 1 October 2026 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua urged OAS foreign ministers, ahead of their 2 October deliberations, to put human rights and accountability at the centre of their approach to Nicaragua. They said a new constitutional reform, approved in its first legislative session, proposes extending the co-presidency mandate from six to seven years with possible renewal and elevating restrictions on people labelled 'traitors to the homeland' to constitutional status, and noted the official announcement that elections are not expected in 2027. This is the two bodies' assessment; the statement does not carry a Nicaraguan government response.

Sources (1)

Nicaragua: IACHR and GHREN stress that human rights are the foundation of democracy, and democracy is the essential condition for free and fair electionsJust one year later, a new reform – already approved in its first legislative session – proposes to extend that mandate to seven years with the possibility of renewal, and to elevate arbitrary restrictions against individuals labelled as "coup plotters" or "traitors to the homeland" to constitutional status. ... In this context, the official announcement that elections are not expected to take place in 2027 constitutes a particularly concerning indication of the erosion of democratic guarantees and the rule of law.

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Nicaragua

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