OAS urges action against Nicaragua over opposition ban

The Organization of American States urged its member countries on Thursday to work together on measures against Nicaragua after the country banned opposition parties from its elections.

OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin said the situation in Nicaragua was “absolutely not acceptable”. He said any special meeting should aim to agree measures that would increase pressure on the government in Nicaragua and start a process of engagement.

The OAS has no power to impose sanctions on a member state itself. It can urge member governments to act individually over what it sees as departures from democratic rule.

Nicaragua withdrew from the OAS in 2023. The OAS is preparing a special meeting of foreign ministers on Nicaragua, which Ramdin said could take place after the United Nations General Assembly later this month.

Nicaragua's National Assembly voted unanimously last week for a change that would effectively create single-party rule. The change is set to be formally ratified next year.

President Daniel Ortega, 80, has been in power since 2006 and governs with his wife, Rosario Murillo.

The United States has imposed several rounds of sanctions this year on Ortega, Murillo, Nicaragua's government and other entities in the country. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week urged other countries to “stop business as usual” with Nicaragua, accusing Ortega and Murillo of trying to “entrench their illegitimate dynasty”. Ortega called the United States the “enemy” of countries like Nicaragua.