The Nicaraguan parliament on Friday unanimously approved partial constitutional reforms proposed by President Daniel Ortega. These reforms seek to change the political constitution of the nation by creating the position of “co-presidents” and increasing the president’s term, among other things.

If passed, the reforms will see the president’s spouse and the president become co-presidents. The presidential term will be extended to six years from the existing five. The duo will also control legislative, judicial, and electoral bodies. The co-presidents will be able to appoint vice presidents without them being elected by popular vote.

Other reforms include establishing a “volunteer police” as a support body for the National Police, the creation of the right to free and quality education at all levels under Article 58, and the right to free and quality health care under Article 59. Also, the flag of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), the Ortega party, will be made official as a national symbol along with the Nicaraguan flag, the anthem, and the national shield. The reforms also seek to ensure that the nation’s media are not subjected to foreign interests. After the approval by the first legislature, the reforms are set for approval in the second legislature on January 10, 2025.

The President of the National Assembly, Dr. Gustavo Porras, has hailed the constitutional reforms as a pathway to strengthen government institutions, the Political Constitution, and other laws. He also stressed the need to unite in the common goal of defeating poverty and maintaining peace, which will be achieved by approving these constitutional reforms.

The reform initiative is opposed by the opposition, which sees it as a move by Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, who is also the vice president, to consolidate power and legalize a totalitarian rule as well as the elimination of separation of powers.

The reforms have also attracted criticism from various international bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who has urged Nicaraguan lawmakers to reject the proposed reforms, citing threats to the rule of law and the country’s human rights crisis. The secretary general of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, also issued a statement, calling the reforms “illegitimate” and a “definitive attack on the Democratic Rule of Law”.