Nicaragua constitutional reform entrenches Ortega-Murillo rule, closes electoral path

Nicaragua's legislature, controlled by Daniel Ortega's party, approved a constitutional reform that extends presidential terms to seven years and effectively bars opposition candidates from elections. This consolidates authoritarian control and eliminates any electoral route for political change, deepening the country's democratic backsliding. The move is a continuation of Ortega's pattern of consolidating power, but the explicit closure of electoral avenues marks a further entrenchment.