RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Nicaragua’s parliament on Tuesday passed an electoral system reform that bans party financing from abroad and limits the involvement of international observers, which is seen by opponents as an attempt by President Daniel Ortega to further entrench his power.
Nicaragua National Assemby (Photo internet reproduction)
The National Assembly, largely dominated by the ruling party, also endorsed a clause that prohibits those who have been identified by the authorities as having taken part in protests against the president in 2018 from participating in the elections.
Legislators loyal to Ortega, who has ruled uninterruptedly since 2007, said that the changes to the law seek to prevent foreign interference in the elections and to block the nomination of candidates the government deems to have sought to perpetrate a coup d’état.