Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will begin an effort to sanction the Nicaraguan government amid the dictatorial regime’s effort to undermine democracy in the country.
“Yesterday the Murillo-Ortega's National Assembly gutted what was left of Nicaragua’s democracy in the second constitutional rewrite in two years,” Secretary Rubio wrote on X.
In response, Secretary Rubio affirmed that in its upcoming gathering with the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS), the U.S. will implement measures “to ensure our hemisphere stops business as usual with this dictatorship."
Nicaragua Bars "Traitors To The Homeland" From Taking Office
Secretary Rubio’s announcement comes after Nicaragua’s National Assembly approved a constitutional reform that prohibits “traitors to the homeland” from holding popularly elected office.
The amendment has reportedly been applied to at least 452 denaturalized opponents and critics of the regime.
Additionally, the reform also extended Co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s presidential terms to seven years.
The term’s extension changed the country’s scheduled Nov. 2026 presidential election by a year.
The constitutional reforms are part of the Murillo-Ortega regime’s effort to prevent his opposition party from potentially taking office. In doing so, the dictators have sought to end democratic elections in the Central American nation.
Congressman Gimenez Pushes Back Against Murillo-Ortega Regime
Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Fla.) fired back at the Murillo-Ortega regime’s decision, calling for the dictatorship’s end.
“The pathetic unicameral Sandinista assembly in Nicaragua just voted to ABOLISH DEMOCRACY to perpetuate co-dictators Daniel Ortega & Rosario Murillo in power all in the name of ‘socialism,’” Congressman Gimenez said.
🚨#SOSNicaragua La asamblea del régimen Ortega-Murillo acaba de formalizar la eliminación de cualquier vestigio de democracia en el país.
Los co-dictadores han eliminado las elecciones y ahora sus focas en la asamblea Sandinista pretenden ratificarlo.
¡ABAJO LA DICTADURA! https://t.co/k03JrgjEzR
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) September 2, 2026
“¡DOWN WITH THE DICTATORSHIP!” he wrote.
Congressman Gimenez has been a staunch opponent of the Murillo-Ortega regime. Recently, the Cuban American Congressman urged the U.S. to remove Nicaragua from the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
With Secretary Rubio’s announcement, Rep. Gimenez’s calls to punish the country could come to fruition alongside other diplomatic measures.
