The End of Democracy in Nicaragua
At 80 years old, President Daniel Ortega is no stranger to power. He fought his way into government as a young Marxist rebel, lost it at the ballot box, and clawed it back, maintaining control of Nicaragua for nearly 20 years. Now, he has announced that his country will never hold another election.
President Daniel Ortega did not start out as a dictator. In the 1970s, he joined the Sandinista rebel group, which overthrew the regime of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Ortega became the nation’s leader that same year and served as president from 1985 to 1990. After losing an election in 1990, he stepped down, but he returned to power in 2007 and has remained in office ever since.
Consolidation and Crackdowns
Over the decades, Daniel Ortega altered the constitution to expand his authority, imprisoned political opponents, and seized control of virtually every state
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