Nicaragua enacted a reform to the Political Constitution on Wednesday that transforms the State, eliminates the balance of powers, and grants total power to the country's president, Daniel Ortega, and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, who now holds the title of 'co-president.' The constitutional reform came into effect after being published in the Official Gazette, La Gaceta, and 19 days after being approved in the second and final legislature.
The constitutional norm extended the presidential term from five to six years, establishes the figure of 'co-president', that the Executive 'coordinates' the other 'organs' of the State, which are no longer called powers, and legalizes statelessness. It also creates 'patriotic reserve military forces' and 'voluntary police,' which, according to opponents, would be considered paramilitary and parapolice forces.
The legislators reformed 148 of the 198 articles of the Constitution and repealed another 37, including the one prohibiting the practice of torture. The amendment states that Nicaragua is a 'revolutionary' State, free, sovereign, independent, which recognizes the person, the family, and the community as protagonists of 'direct democracy,' and that the revolutionary power is exercised directly by the people, and the people exercise the power of the State through the Presidency of the Republic that directs the Government and coordinates the legislative, judicial, electoral, audit, and autonomous entities.
The Presidency will direct the Government and as the Head of State will coordinate the legislative, judicial, electoral, control, regional, and municipal organs, according to the norm. It also states that the Presidency is the Supreme Command of the Army of Nicaragua, the National Police, and the Ministry of the Interior. Furthermore, the Presidency will be composed of a co-president and a co-presidentess, who will perform their functions for a period of six years and may appoint vice presidents without being elected by popular vote.
Additionally, the constitutional reform creates 'patriotic reserve military forces, as part of the Army of Nicaragua, which will be voluntarily integrated by officers, officials, non-commissioned officers, troops, soldiers, and sailors who have passed into the honorable condition of retirement or discharge' and the voluntary police as an auxiliary and support body to the National Police, composed of Nicaraguans 'who provide their services voluntarily.'
The State of Nicaragua will also ensure that social media is not 'subjected' to foreign interests nor disseminates false news that threatens the rights of Nicaraguans. Ortega, 79 years old and in power since 2007, has governed Nicaragua from 2017 along with his wife Murillo amid allegations of electoral fraud or eliminating the opposition to avoid competition.
