The United States stated it would leverage the Organization of American States to pursue a policy of isolating Nicaragua in response to recent constitutional amendments enacted by the country’s government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday, characterizing the actions of President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo as a campaign against democratic principles that poses risks to regional stability and economic development.
Nicaraguan lawmakers approved a constitutional reform package on Tuesday that imposes significant restrictions on opposition political parties’ ability to participate in electoral contests and lengthens the presidential term from six to seven years. Rubio indicated the US intends to use an upcoming OAS gathering to encourage member nations to reconsider their standard diplomatic and commercial relationships with Nicaragua. The OAS convened a meeting last month to address the situation in Nicaragua, which it characterized as a matter of pressing concern affecting the broader American States.
Nicaragua formally withdrew its membership from the organization in 2022 following years of critical statements regarding the Ortega administration’s human rights practices, with that withdrawal becoming fully effective in 2023. The regional organization, which was established with American support in 1948, has faced previous membership departures, including Venezuela’s withdrawal process initiated in 2017 under former President Nicolas Maduro, who similarly criticized the body as interventionist.
Ortega proposed the constitutional amendments in July, framing them as measures to prevent opposition figures described as “traitors” and individuals engaged in “coup-plotting” from participating in elections. The reforms would also prohibit political parties that receive international funding from operating. Ortega stated that the changes would prevent future attempts to seize governmental authority, referencing these statements during an event marking the 1979 Sandinista revolution that initially brought him to power decades earlier.
Ortega’s political career spans multiple decades, including his role in overthrowing a US-aligned authoritarian regime and his subsequent leadership of Nicaragua’s post-revolutionary government and civilian administrations. His current tenure represents the longest continuous leadership among Western Hemisphere nations. The government’s previous crackdowns have resulted in significant casualties and led to the displacement of numerous political figures and media professionals, with many eventually settling in the United States.
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