PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
July 21, 2026
Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278‍

Alianza Americas rejects the statements made by Daniel Ortega, who on July 19 publicly stated that in Nicaragua “there will be no more elections” and announced that he will work with the National Assembly to pass legislation to “erect a wall” against political parties seeking to come to power through the ballot box. As a network of migrant-led organizations working from a transnational perspective, Alianza Americas understands the gravity of these statements, given the control that the Ortega-Murillo regime exercises over the legislative branch. 

‍Democracy is a political system and a method of electing leaders, based on the free exercise of the right to vote in free elections, in which all political parties may field candidates. By closing the door on the 2027 elections, after extending the presidential term to six years through the 2025 Constitution, the Ortega-Murillo regime is cementing its authoritarian agenda and stripping the Nicaraguan people of their sovereign right to elect their leaders.

‍We recall that the 2021 elections were not recognized by the international community, because they were held amid high levels of repression, including the arbitrary imprisonment of opposition figures, among them seven presidential candidates. The announcement explicitly eliminating any future electoral competition, accompanied by sustained persecution of dissident groups, the Church, and the press, is deeply troubling. The Nicaraguan people have suffered violations of their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of worship. The exile of political, social, and intellectual leaders, as well as journalists, has stripped the country of its independent and critical voices. 

‍This political context also confirms that Nicaragua does not meet the minimum conditions to guarantee the rights of deported migrants: returning people to a dictatorship that persecutes and imprisons those who do not submit to the regime is an inhumane and irresponsible act. Alianza Americas calls on the countries of the region, multilateral organizations, and the international community to act with determination and commitment to defend democracy in Nicaragua and prevent Nicaraguans from being put at risk of arbitrary detention and torture, and reaffirms its solidarity with the victims of repression and with those, both inside and outside the country, who continue to fight for freedom and democracy.

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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.