The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, compared Nicaragua to Cuba on Tuesday after Daniel Ortega publicly stated that in the Central American country “there will be no more elections”. The diplomat asserted that eliminating elections is a way to subjugate the population, “as Cuba has demonstrated over the last 67 years.”
Landau reacted on his official X account to the speech given by Ortega on Monday during the ceremony for the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution in Managua, where the leader explicitly dismissed the possibility of holding future elections.
"When people tell you who they are, believe them," wrote the Undersecretary of State before citing one of the most controversial phrases from the speech: "There will be no more elections here!"
According to Landau, Ortega argues that elections pose a risk to power, but the reality is the opposite.
"In their opinion, the elections threaten to trap the government. But, of course, abolishing elections allows the government to trap its people, as Cuba has demonstrated for the past 67 years," they stated.
The official concluded by reiterating Washington's support for the Nicaraguans: "The United States supports the Nicaraguan people and their democratic aspirations."
Ortega rules out new elections
During his speech on Monday, Ortega, 80 years old, stated that the opposition will never come to power through the ballot box again.
"They would love to win elections (...). But they can forget it: there will be no more elections here," he declared.
The ruler also announced that the National Assembly will promote new laws to intensify the persecution against those he labeled as "coup plotters" and "traitors," while challenging the United States by asserting that "no matter how much money the Yankees give them," his opponents will not achieve their goals.
Marco Rubio calls for isolating the regime
Landau's statements add to the condemnation expressed this Tuesday by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who asserted that Ortega's words "reveal the true authoritarian nature" of the Ortega-Murillo regime.
Rubio stated that the Nicaraguan people "have the right to choose their own leaders through democratic elections" and urged the international community to increase the diplomatic isolation of the government in Managua.
Ortega's announcement comes after, in January 2025, the regime approved a deep constitutional reform that modified 185 of the 198 articles of the Magna Carta.
Among the most significant changes are the extension of the presidential term from five to six years, the creation of the position of co-president for Rosario Murillo, and the establishment of indefinite reelection. As a result of this reform, the elections scheduled for November 2026 have been postponed until November 2027.
The pressure from Washington is increasing
The U.S. administration has progressively tightened measures against the Sandinista regime.
In April 2026, several children of Ortega and Murillo were sanctioned, as well as seven mining companies linked to the government. Two months later, visa restrictions were expanded to over a hundred officials and their family members, increasing the total number of individuals sanctioned under the current administration to over 2,350.
The international isolation of Managua has also intensified. In June 2026, the Organization of American States (OAS) unanimously approved a resolution demanding the restoration of democracy and the release of all political prisoners in Nicaragua. That same year, Human Rights Watch documented at least 87 political prisoners in the country.
For Nicaraguan opposition leader Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Ortega's words only reaffirmed what the opposition has been denouncing for years: that the leader "has removed yet another mask" and never had any intention of allowing genuine electoral competition.
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